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The Act respecting Labour Standards of Quebec is bringing into force new rules effective January 1, 2019.

Under the existing rules an employee who is credited with five (5) years and over of uninterrupted service, at the end of any reference year is entitled to a 6% indemnity or three consecutive weeks of vacation (Article 69).

As of January 1, 2019, the entitlement period is reduced from five years to three years so that employees credited with three (3) or more years of uninterrupted service with the same employer, at the end of the reference year, are now entitled to the said 6% indemnity or three consecutive weeks of vacation.
With respect to the clothing industry, as of January 1, 2019, employees credited with one year to less than three years continuous service are entitled to 6% indemnity or three weeks’ vacation, two of which are consecutive. Employees credited with three years and more of uninterrupted service at the end of the reference year are now entitled to 8% indemnity, or four weeks’ vacation, three weeks of which are continuous.

Employees who work in clothing stores are not considered part of the clothing industry and are not governed by the latter 8% rule.

There are also numerous other changes in the law concerning, in particular, absences from work (Articles 79.7, 79.16, 80 and 81.1) and a new paragraph in Article 81.19 obliging employers to “adopt and make available to their employees a psychological harassment prevention and complaint processing policy that includes, in particular, a section on behavior that manifests itself in the form of verbal comments, actions or gestures of a sexual nature.”

For further information or advice, please do not hesitate to contact the author.

This publication is of a general nature, is as of the date indicated and is not intended to constitute an opinion or legal advice.  The facts and circumstances of your particular situation should be specifically identified and addressed before appropriate legal advice may be given.