Wage theft happens when employers misclassify workers as independent contractors instead of employees. When this happens, workers are denied their rights under the Employment Standards Act and lose access to other legal entitlements such as Employment Insurance (EI), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and more.
Wage theft also happens when employers:
- Don't pay workers for all the hours we work;
- Pay workers less than the full minimum wage;
- Make illegal deductions from workers' pay; or
- Fail to pay overtime pay, public holiday pay, or vacation pay in accordance with the the law.