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“I have been settled in Canada for the last 10 years. Eventually, I found on-call work in a manufacturing plant. Despite not being trained and having to carry a heavy work load, I was grateful to have the opportunity for paid work. Shifts were scheduled unpredictably. One day, I was told to arrive at work within an hour. I had to refuse because there was no way to find child care on short notice. But soon after, I stopped being called for shifts.”
In the past decade, employers in Ontario have shifted to rely on precarious and contract jobs. Temporary agencies and part-time temp work has grown rapidly in the province and across the country. These agencies not only benefit from, but also drive predatory employment practices that target immigrants and women of colour like those in the East Danforth Community Chapter (EDCC).
The EDCC is part of Unifor, Canada’s largest union in the private sector, and represents South Asian women working in temporary staffing agencies in Toronto. Members of the EDCC and the South Asian Women’s Rights Organisation (SAWRO) held an emotional and honest community event on Thursday, March 23 to tell their stories.
Read those stories and see 6 ways the Ontario Government can help precarious workers here.
In a packed room at the Oakridge Community Centre in Scarborough, Ontario, women of the EDCC challenged the Ontario Government to improve and enforce labour standards. Members of the community chapter, who are employed as temporary workers in the city, expressed their disillusionment. After moving their families to Canada, they are discriminated against in hiring, are paid less than permanent co-workers, and face the fear of arbitrary firing.
“I came here for a Canadian standard of living, not to live in poverty.”
The call for a $15 per hour living wage was echoed by the 60 community members in attendance. The Ontario Government has mandated a minimum wage increase of twenty cents to come into effect this fall. But $11.60 an hour is not a living wage. Join the Fight for $15 and Fairness.
As exploitative, temporary work is on the rise, workers are also rising up. The Government of Ontario’s Changing Workplaces review, which has been postponed again until mid-spring, must bring real change for workers who are facing exploitation and insecurity. Read more of the experiences of EDCC members and the changes they are demanding from the government in this new factsheet.
Unifor’s Community Chapters are a new way that workers in freelance, part-time and contract work can organize and gain some of the benefits of a union. Start with an email to see how starting a community chapter can help you.
