This release was issued under a previous government.

Alberta Labour will send letters to employers who are alleged to owe their workers outstanding pay, encouraging the employers to resolve complaints before a formal investigation starts.

“Our government has the backs of working people. Workers are owed nearly $19 million in unpaid wages and benefits, and more than 46 per cent of all employment standards complaints are related to unpaid wages. This action will help us better serve employees so they can get the wages they have earned.”

Christina Gray, Minister of Labour

The letters will include various resolution options including:

  • paying the worker
  • paying a mutually agreed amount
  • disputing the complaint

The letters are expected to decrease the number of complaints to employment standards requiring a formal investigation. More than 6,000 claims in Alberta have been made for unpaid work with a value of $1,500 or less in the last three years.

Ontario launched a similar initiative in 2015 that resulted in an estimated 25 per cent decrease in investigations.