Undercover Temp Worker Investigation in Ontario

[coffeeFreak]

While I am not a fan of "The Star", this is an excellent article that was a year in the making. It is hard to imagine that this sort of thing exists in Canada, and initially I had to check the source to confirm that, yes indeed this company is operating in Canada, and the govt turns a blind eye to such an abusive practice in what is a growing industry of temporary workers.

These are just a very few paragraphs from the article:

...Fiera’s current clients include some of the continent’s biggest brands including Dunkin’ Donuts and Sobeys; over the years it has made pastries for Costco, Tim Hortons, Metro, Walmart, and Loblaw. Its factories churn out baked goods by the truckload, destined for markets across North America and around the world. They can produce 2 million bagels alone per day.

Fiera said health and safety is a “core principle,” in response to questions from the Star. It said it contributes to Ontario’s “economic well-being” with more than 1,200 people working at our facilities in the GTA, and that it believes strongly in helping immigrants “find work and build their futures in Canada.” It also said it uses strict criteria when choosing temp agencies to work with. The company says it has given almost $1.5 million to health-care initiatives and minority communities over the past decade.

It has also received some $4.7 million in government loans and grants to expand capacity and create good jobs. The company says all employees are given “in-depth training” and that Fiera has invested half a million dollars in health and safety initiatives over the past two years.

...I get about five minutes of training in a factory packed with industrial equipment.
I am paid in cash with no deductions or pay stubs. I pick up my wages from a payday lender, a 35-minute bus ride from the factory...

Statistics Canada stopped collecting data on temp agency workers a decade ago, making it difficult to paint a picture of the workforce here. To fill that gap, the Star filed multiple Freedom of Information requests with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and obtained custom data from the Association of Workers Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC).
While temp agencies are traditionally associated with casual office work, statistics from the WSIB show the majority of temps are now being placed in other sectors — including non-clerical, construction, restaurant and driving jobs....

Because of the lack of Statistics Canada data, it is hard to calculate the true number of temp agency workers in Ontario. The WSIB quantifies the number of “full-time equivalent” employees, which has crept up steadily since 2008, and now sits at around 120,000...

...But that figure does not reflect the actual number of people who cycle through temp agencies. Overall in Ontario, temporary jobs — which include but are not limited to temp agency jobs — have grown at more than four times the rate of permanent jobs since the 2008 recession, according to Statistics Canada. In food manufacturing work, temp jobs have skyrocketed by 110 per cent in Toronto in the past 10 years. Permanent ones have increased by less than 3 per cent....

http://projects.thestar.com/temp-employment-agencies/index.html

[the truth]

i have said it all along , temp worker program is nothing but a scam, they say the locals do not want to work--bs-- bring in the refugees pay them lower wages and break as many labour laws as they can to make max profit

[whitecandle]

Did you read the article before posting? It has nothing to do with companies bringing in TFW's. These are people who work for temporary agencies, whether they like a variety of work and can pick and choose when to work or are working for an agency while looking for full-time employment.

[coffeeFreak]

Did you read the article before posting? It has nothing to do with companies bringing in TFW's. These are people who work for temporary agencies, whether they like a variety of work and can pick and choose when to work or are working for an agency while looking for full-time employment.

Yes I did whitecandle....sounds like you didn't. But changed the word to "temp" so as not to confuse others who jump to conclusions.

[whitecandle]

No, I wasn't referring to you. I should have put ^^^ - the truth is the one who said refugees were being brought in as temp workers when the article is about temp agencies and the workers they employ.

There are 700+ temp agencies in Ontario who supply companies with workers for a day, week or however long the assignment lasts for. Companies would rather pay a higher rate to the temp agencies than hire the worker full-time and have to provide benefits (if available), stat holiday pay, sick leave, etc.

[Chyren]

To assume that businesses bring in foreign workers because they don't want to pay full price for regular workers is a leap.

Often times companies are always looking for people to hire and can't get local people to work for them. They have to look elsewhere.

Often times there's people that feel that working at McDonalds or Tim Hortons is beneath them and thus this issue.

[the truth]

far from it, people want to work, its these companies that bs and lie that say they can not find local workers

[Omnitheo]

far from it, people want to work, its these companies that bs and lie that say they can not find local workers

Unemployment rates are low now. Every fast food location in town has had a "now hiring" sign for months. For the last year, when working early shifts, regularly 24 hour locations I'd try to get coffee from would be closed. The reason was always short staffed. Or unable to find replacements to work their graveyard shifts.

There are jobs available, but people don't want them. Why would they either, as they would have to work minimum wage in a fast paced stressful environment without regular hours? Everyone wants a cushier job.

[the truth]

man you people just kill me, they treat the locals like s t so no one wants to work for them, then cry that they need temp workers, every see the adds in the paper for these jobs, part time workers needed must be available 7 days a week am and pm *bleep* ,must work split shifts on and on there bs goes, they are un willing to give full time hours to people because it costs them more in wages, taxes and maybe even benefits
get back to me when you completely out of touch with reality people want to open your eyes to reality

[Omnitheo]

Sign today at my Local Tim Horton's advising of nights they will be closed due to staffing issues.

So Truth, since you say it is the company's fault they cannot find workers. What should be done about that? Increase Minimum wage to attract people to the positions? Have the government implement additional employment standards and legislation to increase employment fairness? Help place refugees in work programs to staff the jobs you don't want to work?

[the truth]

Sign today at my Local Tim Horton's advising of nights they will be closed due to staffing issues.

So Truth, since you say it is the company's fault they cannot find workers. What should be done about that? Increase Minimum wage to attract people to the positions? Have the government implement additional employment standards and legislation to increase employment fairness? Help place refugees in work programs to staff the jobs you don't want to work?

employment standards mean nothing ,businesses break them all the time, of course they have a problem filling the gravy yard shift when they only offer part time hours when fulltime hours can be had ,what part of this do you not grasp

[Omnitheo]

The part where you think that minimum wage businesses are going to start magically treating their employees better out of the goodness of their hearts without any sort of legislation advising them to. When you get paid minimum wage, it's because it would be against the law to pay you any less. Same goes for your hours. Employment standards has strict guidelines as to minimum time between shifts, as well as breaks and OT pay depending on hours worked. If you claim businesses are breaking these all the time, then you need to back that up, because businesses can receive penalties for failing to comply.

So again, to my question. What is your proposal? What is your solution? Can you grasp this question?

[the truth]

*removed*

[Omnitheo]

*removed*