4. Get legal advice
Question & Answer
Can my employer tell me what to wear at work?If have asked your employer for and they do not you, this may be . It might also be discrimination if you had to quit your job or you were fired because of the dress code or because you spoke up about your rights.
A lawyer can help you:
- understand your rights as an employee and member
- discuss your options
- write a demand letter
- decide if you should make a complaint to the of Ontario or the Ontario Labour Relations Board about your union
Discrimination
If you think your employer is discriminating against you, you can get free legal advice and information from the Human Rights Legal Support Centre. It does not matter how much money you make.
The Centre can help you figure out:
- if your situation is discrimination
- if there are things you or a lawyer can do to convince your employer to accommodate you
- if you can make a claim with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
- what evidence can help you prove discrimination by your employer
You can use the Centre’s online tool Can we help you? to see if you might be able to make a claim.
The Centre can help you to apply to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and sometimes they can support you at the .
Duty of fair representation
You might be able to make a complaint to the Ontario Labour Relations Board if you think the union did not meet their duty to fairly represent you. This is called making an about the union’s “duty of fair representation.” This can be difficult to prove, and it can be a long process.
It is important to get legal help from an employment lawyer if you are thinking about making a duty of fair representation application.
Legal Clinics
Community legal clinics (CLCs) provide free legal services to people with low incomes. CLCs may be able to help you if you think you have been discriminated against. To find a CLC in your area you can search by your postal code. Or, you can call Legal Aid Ontario at 1-800-668-8258 or 416-979-1446. TTY users can call 1-866-641-8867 or 416-598-8867.
There are also specialty clinics for people throughout Ontario that:
- represent specific individuals, for example, seniors, people living with HIV, and people with disabilities, or
- deal with a specific area of law, for example workers compensation and workers’ health and safety
