Work Refusals During COVID-19: Your Rights – 580 CFRA

Jail guards at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre refused to work Tuesday morning due to the lack of COVID-19 screening of those going inside the institution.

Are the guards’ concerns justified? Does an employee have the right to refuse work when they feel the workplace is no longer a safe environment?

Alex Lucifero is an Ottawa employment lawyer and partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP. He joins host Leslie Roberts on Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work to discuss employer obligations to create a safe workplace, and a workers’ right to refuse unsafe work during the COVID-19 pandemic.