Discriminatory action means punishing an employee by doing something which affects their job.
Some examples of discriminatory actions are firing or suspending an employee, changing an employee's hours of work, and reducing an employee's wages or benefits. Employers cannot punish employees for following the rules of the Occupational Health and Safety Act or regulations. It is against the law to take discriminatory action or to threaten discriminatory action because the employee does something which complies with the Occupational Health and Act or attempts to use the rights given to them in the Act. If an employee feels that an employer has improperly taken discriminatory action against them, they have 30 days to make a written complaint to a Department of Labour officer. If the employee is covered by a collective agreement, they may also choose have their complaint settled under the collective agreement.