Le caractère d'ordre public des dispositions de la Loi sur les normes du travail

Résumé

Après avoir situe la Loi sur les normes du travail dans son contexte historique et dégage les règles d'interprétation applicables à une telle législation, l'auteur en analyse le caractère d'ordre public et la portée des dérogations autorisées par le législateur.

Abstract

The principle embodied in the Civil Code regarding the freedom to contract is conditioned, as far as the individual labour contract is concerned, by the existence of minimum standards enforced by the legislator. The role of these minimum standards is to avoid abuses which could cause imbalance between contracting parties. The observance of these labour standards is required of contracting parties and must be interpreted in a manner favourable to the wage earner. One way of guaranteeing their effectiveness is by declaring the standards of public interest.

This study is subdivided into two parts. The first covers the circumstances surrounding the adoption of articles 93 and 94 of the «Act Respecting Labour Standards», which establish the nature of the public interest embodied in this legislation, while permitting certain exceptions. In the second part, the state of the jurisprudence concerning the application of these conditions is analyzed. The meaning and the extent of the exceptions permitted are also examined. The author also presents a jurisprudential and doctrinal argument concerning the application of articles 93 and 94, as regards particular cases of recourse created by this legislation. After explaining the various opinions surrounding this argument, the author's interpretations presented.