Must Employers Pay Workers for Time in Pre-Employment Training?

A CNESST inspector cited a recruiting firm for what she believed were 2 labour standards violations: (i) requiring employees to take pre-employment training at their without compensation for their time; and (ii) reserving the right to withhold $500 from the final paycheque to cover the costs of training provided to employees who quit their job before completing 520 hours of work. But the Court of Qu‚bec ruled that both practices were perfectly legal and dismissed the case. The first requirement was okay because the law doesn’t obligate employers to pay persons for the time they spend to acquire the training essential for the job they apply for; that same rule meant that the $500 takeback provision was also legal [CNESST c. 9070-1251 Qu‚bec inc., 2021 QCCQ 3672 (CanLII), May 14, 2021].