NEWS phote Cindy Goodman 1G-VYEAR-OLD Elaine Proom lays the foundations for a sand- castie on Ambleside Beach. Employment Standards Act guarantees employee rights MANY PEOPLE believe that if you don’t work for a union — you don’t have any. employee rights. Benefits such as holidays, vacations: and maternity- leave sometimes seem like they’ve been left up to your employer. The government protects employees who haven’t been able to negotiate better terms as part of a union by ensuring minimum standards. The British Columbia Employ- ment Standards Act gives employees guaranteed rights with respect to general holidays, annual vacations, and maternity Jeave, The Act recognizes nine days as general holidays: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, British Columbia Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, and Christmas Day. As an employee, you are entitl- ed to a holiday with pay on every general holiday. If the official holiday happens to fall on a non-working day, you must be given a regular working day off with pay. If you are required to work on a general holiday there are rules that the employer must follow re- garding giving you another day off with pay and/or paying you extra. The rules vary depending on whether the business you work for is open for seven days per week or not. Check with the Employment Standards Branch of the Ministry of Labour and Consumer Services at 660-4000 if you have questions about your entitlement to extra pay or time off for working on a general holiday. This part of the Act does not apply to employees covered by a collective agreement, (o managers, to employees who have not been on the payroll for 30 days prior to the holiday and who have worked less than 15 days in the preceding 30 days, and to those employcd primarily to harvest fruit or ber- ries. : The Employment Standards Act also entitles you to two weeks an- nual vacation with pay after one year’s work, and three weeks after five years. When calculating an- nual vacation periods, general holidays which fall within the vacation period are not included as vacation time. The Act also requires your employer to give you your vaca- tion pay seven days before the beginning of your vacation. Finally, the Employment Standards Act ensures that women who become pregnant can have time off without risking their jobs. A woman with a doctor’s certif- icate confirming her pregnancy is entitled to a leave of absence from work, without pay, for a period of 18 consecutive weeks. Normally the leave begins 11 weeks before the baby is due and continues for at least six weeks after the birth. The distribution of time off be- fore and after the baby is born is up to the mother although a med- ical certificate of health is required if the mother wants to return to work less than six weeks after the baby is born. A woman can't be fired because of her pregnancy, but an employer can insist she take maternity leave if the pregnancy is preventing her from reasonably performing her duties. The leave of absence provisions are very important because they guarantee the same job, or a comparable one with benefits, will be waiting for women after having a baby. Legal tips is a series provide by the lawyers in the community. These tips are for general infor- mation only. People who have a specific legal problem should con- sult a lawyer. Wednesday, July 29, 1992 - North Shore News — 41 are ings are off Woolco regular prices. r4 Protour Crass 18 SPD Bikes © 26" Frame « Gumwall Tires * Assembled at no extra cost ¢ Men’s and Ladies’ 1 4999 styles. Reg. 199.99. ea. Super 12” Oscillating Fan e 3 speed rotary switch * Adjustable neck ° 90° auto ascillating ¢ Whisper quiet 19° ea. if Equipment, Bags, Clubs and Accessories fe Selected Sports Raquets - Tennis, Badminton, etc. .j¢ Entire selection of Baseball | Gloves and Accessories. ty Protour 18 SPD A.T.B. Bikes * Shimano derailleurs * Anatomic padded saddie and gum wail tires * Assembled at no 1 29° extra charge. Fieg. 169.99. ea. Barbecue - 20 L Tank Included °“H” Burner * 400 primary sq. in.- ° 290 sa. in. vetractable rack ¢ Front handles « Heat indicator ° Window ° Frorcelain coated rills ¢ Dual hea gontrols ° 6" wheels. 4 §9°9 Reg. 259.99. “ ¢ Men's T-Shirts, Knit Shirts, Sport Shirts, Shorts, Casual Pants ¢ Boys’ Knit Shirts, T-Shirts, Shorts and Casual Pants LADIES’ FASHION ® Selected Lady Plus ° Selected Ladies’ Swimwear ¢ All Spring/Summer Co-ordinates « All Ladies’ Dresses over 25.00. TOWELS ¢ Discontinued styles. Choose from a wide variety of styles and colors BATHROOM FASHIONS © 50% off regular price on discontinued styles. HANDBAGS * Choose from a wide selection of white and summer bags. FABRICS and CRAFT ITEMS ® Selection varies by store. CAPILANO MALL « 988-6311 925 Marine fzive, North Vancouver 988-6311 Monday to Wednesday Thursday and Friday 1 19 a.m. - 6 am. 9 aim. - 9 p.m. Satuday 9:30 a.m. - 6 pm. Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 pm.