Special Investigations Unit

The Special Investigation Unit of Employment Standards identifies and investigates possible violations of the following Manitoba’s employment laws: The Employment Standards Code, The Construction Industry Wages Act and The Worker Recruitment and Protection Act

The Unit relies on information and tips provided by the public as a way to target its investigations. All information provided to Employment Standards is confidential and the Unit does not reveal the identity of a person who reports a possible violation.   If you have information, please call 204-945-3352 or 1-800-821-4307 toll free, or email [email protected]

The Unit investigates specific workplaces or conducts industry-wide reviews for violations.  The Unit’s goal is to improve compliance with the applicable laws through education.  Most employers break employment laws unknowingly.  Employment Standards works to ensure that employers and employees understand their rights and obligations. 

The Unit penalizes employers for repeated and deliberate violations of employment laws.  Officers can take the following action:

• give warning letters to employers explaining the law and the fines for breaking the law
• direct employers to tell their employees about specific rights or post information in the workplace
• order employers to pay wages owing to employees
• fine employers with administrative penalties for repeated violations
• publish on our website the names of businesses that have been fined
• prosecute unlawful employers, which could result in fines as high as $25,000-$50,000

During 2014-2015, the Unit conducted over 400 investigations.  Almost half of these investigations were the result of information received from the public and the Unit identified violations in 80 per cent of these cases.

To see more of our investigations, visit our Investigations page.  You will find specific topics and real-life examples of the Unit’s work during the past 12 months.