Hours of Work and Wage Standards
Do I get paid for my meal breaks?
You are entitled to a one half-hour unpaid break every five consecutive hours. The half-hour break cannot unreasonably be denied. In certain circumstances where employees do not get the full half-hour break at one time...
What deductions are allowed?
An employer can only make certain deductions from an employee’s pay. They are:
required or authorized by law (e.g., income tax, EI, CPP)
agreed in writing by the employer and the employee
ordered by the court
the...
A history of the minimum wage in Prince Edward Island.
What is a minimum wage order?
The Minimum Wage Order sets wage rates. A wage rate is the amount of money an employer pays an employee for each hour of work. The Minimum Wage Order sets the minimum wage rate, which is the least amount of money an...
In most positions, the standard work week is 48 hours after which the employee is eligible for time and one-half their regular rate of pay. Certain industries have exemptions to the standard work week. Please refer to the Standard Work Week Exemption...
The Employment Standards Act of Prince Edward Island gives employees who qualify eight holidays with pay:
New Year's Day
Islander Day (3rd Monday in February)
Good Friday
Canada Day
Labour Day
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September...
Pay
In general, an employee subject to the act must receive at least the minimum rate of hourly pay or equivalent. Contact the Branch at www.peiemploymentstandards.com or telephone (902) 368-5550 for details on the current minimum wage rate. An employee...
Some employers in PEI pay employees by the amount they produce and not by the hour. This arrangement is called “piecework”. An employer cannot pay an employee less for piecework than that employee would have earned at the minimum wage for the number of...
If you are an employee and you are called in to work outside your regular work hours, your employer must pay you for at least three hours work.
Each time an employee is required to report to work, he/she must be paid for at least three hours.
Staff...
The following are exemptions to the standard work week provisions of the Employment Standards Act approved by the Employment Standards Board, pursuant to section 15 of the Act.
1. (A) Highway Construction / Maintenance
The standard work week for...
If an employee began working with a retail employer before the 17th day of March, 2007, that employee may refuse to work on any or all Sundays.
If an employee began working with a retail employer on the 17th day of March, 2007, up to and including the...
An employee’s pay period must not exceed 16 days. In the event that employment is terminated, an employee must be paid no later than the next regular pay period after the one in which their employment ceased. All pay earned by an employee during a...
Tips and gratuities are the property of the employee who earned them and no employer can require an employee to share a tip or gratuity with that employer. In addition, an employer can not pass on any administrative charges to an employee.
An employer,...
Where employees are not members of a labour union, the Employment Standards Act sets out the requirements for paid vacation.
If an employee is employed by the same employer for less than eight years, the Employment Standards Act says that employers must...