To meet the needs of the members as they return to work at a time of uncertainty, the Member Education Unit, together with Region 5 Staff Representatives, successfully kicked off a short online session on The Duty to Accommodate.
The session, requested by Locals 525, 533 and 565, focused on the Duty to Accommodate around the Human Rights Code and the 17 prohibited grounds identified in Human Rights legislation. It was held in Region 5 on August 12, 2020.
Twelve participants from the Locals registered for the first pilot session and got a chance to discuss the rights of employers, employees and the Union and their roles in accommodations.
They analyzed a case study and explored the theme that sometimes in order to treat people equally and fairly they have to be treated differently. They learned that employers and service providers must reasonably accommodate employees who fall into any of the groups protected by human rights legislation.
Participants were fully engaged in this session which was two hours long and had a Q&A session facilitated by OPSEU staff. The next session will be held on August 25, 2020.