Do workers have the right to refuse to work with a suspicious letter or parcel?
Yes. Section 43 (3) gives workers the right to refuse work or assignments they believe may likely endanger them. Workers are advised to exercise this right to refuse should a suspicious package or envelope appear in the workplace. When exercising this right the worker must: • Report the circumstance of the refusal to the supervisor who must investigate in the presence of the worker and his or her representative. • The worker must remain in a safe place. • If the employer disagrees and takes no action, then the worker continues to refuse and a Ministry of Labour inspector must be called in to investigate. • While waiting for the inspector to come the worker must remain in a safe place and cannot be penalized, threatened, disciplined or terminated. • The employer cannot assign another worker to do this refused work unless they advise the worker of the work refusal and the reason for the refusal. This must be done in the presence of the workers representative. • The inspector must come to
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