Government ordered to pay lawyers for being on – call

Supreme Court of Canada has ordered that federal lawyers must be paid when they are on standby.

In a 7-2 decision handed down on November 3, the country’s highest court agreed with a previous decision that said it was unreasonable for lawyers not to be paid for their scheduled standby shifts. It ordered the government to pay lawyers when they are on standby.

Ursula Hendel, president of the Association of Justice Counsel (AJC), the union representing lawyers, said the court’s decision affirms the importance of the labour movement. READ MORE