By Canadian Press

Paid coffee breaks for employees eliminated at two Tim Hortons in Quebec

May 5, 2017 | 1:45 PM

COWANSVILLE, Canada — Two paid coffee breaks of 15 minutes each are a thing of the past for employees at a pair of Tim Hortons outlets in Quebec.

The owner of the shops says he has done away with the paid breaks because he believes they now pose a threat to the profitability of the businesses.

Jean Pourchelle says in a memo a recent hike in Quebec’s minimum hourly wage is bad for business.

But Pourchelle later told Granby La Voix de l’Est the profitability of the restaurants is not actually threatened by the increase in the minimum hourly wage.

One employee told the newspaper the two 15-minute breaks are being rolled into one 30-minute meal break the employer is not obliged to pay under Quebec’s labour code.

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A spokeswoman for the Quebec agency that oversees labour standards and workplace security says employers are not obliged to offer coffee breaks to employees but that any such breaks must be paid.

Quebec’s minimum hourly wage rose to $11.25 from $10.75 on May 1, an increase of 50 cents.

But even with that increase, employees at the two Tim Hortons outlets are now earning less because of the paid breaks being yanked.

A seven-hour shift at the old minimum wage of $10.75 meant a total of $75.25, compared with $73.13 for a shift of 6.5 hours at the new rate of $11.25.

(Granby La Voix de l’Est)

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Paid coffee breaks for employees eliminated at two Tim Hortons in Quebec

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