But this does not include school holidays or summer vacation when we are available to work full-time hours. A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Labour says this policy is fair. The spokesperson said the student wage was created to give younger people a better chance to find work. The lower wage gives employers incentive to hire the younger students, even for only a few hours a week, instead of older, possibly more experienced workers. But the Canadian Federation of Students says this policy is unfair.
Students work just as hard as other employees.
They shouldn't be paid less just because of their age. The spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Labour says the student rate is the minimum salary an employer can pay a person under age 18. Our bosses do have the right to pay us more if they want. But it is up to the individual employers to give pay raises as he or she sees fit. Still, many people, including the youth members of the Ontario labour department, say Ontario's student wage is age discrimination and should not exist.