Metro Toronto Chinese Southeast Asian Legal Clinic and Minimum Wage

overtime pay: Most don't get minimum wage, nor do they get overtime pay, vacation pay or holiday pay, according to Huffington Post Canada. Many get paid half by cash, half by cheque, and the pay stub doesn't reflect actual hours of work, and there are no statutory deductions. Sweet & Sour: The Struggle of Chinese Restaurant-Workers, released Monday, was prepared by the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic. Avvy Go, a lawyer and the director of the clinic, told CBC Metro Morning the clinic has heard the same story from hundreds of workers and has repeatedly tried to raise the issue with the Ontario Ministry of Labour. "They come to us with the same story and same complaints — no overtime pay, no minimum wage," she said. "We are telling the same story over and over again to the ministry, and a lot of times still many workers don't get what they are owed," she said. "We feel like it time for us to document the stories, and validate their experiences and try get the government to pay more attention to this issue." Go said the typical worker is male, older, an immigrant who lacks English-speaking skills and who can work 44 to 60 hours a week. Go said the workers are often afraid of losing their jobs. Among those who lost their jobs, the majority were denied notice or pay in lieu of notice. The report says it found "widespread and persistent violations" of workers' rights as guaranteed under Ontario Employment Standards Act and Occupational Health and Safety Act. "A significant number of workers were paid less than minimum wage, and were routinely denied overtime pay, holiday pay and vacation pay," the report reads. "Many workers reported they were owed wages by employers, often in the range of several thousand dollars. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.