CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A Tyne Valley woman says there is no protection for the employment of seasonal workers in Prince Edward Island.
with no recourse or protection from suddenly losing their jobs and income.
“(Seasonal employers) can do whatever they want with their staff because every season you go back, you aren’t classified as old staff, you are classified as new
staff,” she said. “They can fire you for almost whatever they want. They don’t have to keep you.”
Jenkins was moved to tell her story following recent accounts in local media about P.E.I. workers dealing with toxic environments and illegal workplace practices.
The topic also came up in the provincial legislature on March 22.
Sudden firing
In 2015, Jenkins had begun working with a Cavendish restaurant as a side gig from her full-time job to earn some extra money throughout the summer.
After having an enjoyable first season, Jenkins said she returned for a second season in 2016 and was promoted to dining room supervisor.
Everything was good for the first month, but then Jenkins said things began falling apart. She said the management would often ignore staffing issues, refuse to
give staff breaks or days off and at one point left Jenkins to serve the restaurant’s dine-in area alone.
When she called her boss for help, she was told to deal with it, as that is what she was paid to do, she said.
Later into the summer, Jenkins said she was let go without notice.
“Something had happened the day before where I had been asked to come in because somebody called in sick,” she said. “I told them I had worked 70 hours
that week (between both jobs), and I just needed that day to myself. The next day I went in for my shift, (the boss) let me serve over dinner hour, then kept my tips
for the day, fired me and sent me home.”
The termination came as a surprise to Jenkins, as her boss had asked her to take on more shifts shortly before being let go, she said.
“Two weeks before that, (the boss) kept telling me how much she needed me because the student staff was heading back to university,” said Jenkins. “She said
she really needed me on the schedule, so I took time off from my full-time job so I would be more available for her.”
Due to how her schedules lined up, Jenkins said the termination left her without income for almost a month.
Following the termination, Jenkins called the provincial labour board and was told about the rules around probation periods and termination notices.
“Nobody would do anything about it. You are hired back as a new employee every year, so you are under a new probation every year,” she said.
