Employer sends you home

[Malagabob333]

My employer sent the whole shift home 4 hours early, and didnt give the option of staying to complete the shift doing other work. Is he entitled to pay the lost hours by law

[buildersmate]

The jargon term for this is being 'laid off' and the general principle is that the employee should be paid. There are exceptions (2 main ones):
1) When there is a specific industry-wide written agreement that any lay-off is without pay
2) When 1 above doesn't apply but the principle of lay-off without pay has been established by that employer over a long period of time (in which case there is an 'implied contract term' that the employer does not need to pay)