A Second Class of Labour?

http://unavidaescondida.blogspot.ca

As we have established in our previous posts, Canadian workplaces are becoming more diverse, particularly with respect to culture and ethnicity.  We think it is important to examine where, or in what types of jobs, this trend is most evident.

According to an article published last May in the Globe and Mail, there are now more than 300 000 temporary foreign workers in Canada, which is triple the number it was ten years ago.  These workers are not immigrants to Canada, but temporarily live and work here during certain times of the year.  Critics of the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program believe that Canada is creating a second class of labour consisting of primarily racialized workers who do not benefit from the same rights and freedoms that Canadian workers enjoy.

To illustrate what is meant by the term 'second class' of labour, we have posted two YouTube videos from a short film entitled "Canada's Migrant Workers".  The film explores this issue by looking at the working conditions of six Guatemalan migrant farm workers in Quebec.

According to the film, a report released in 2009 by the Auditor General stated that the TFW program has opened the door for the abuse of migrant workers. It also noted that the federal government has done a poor job of ensuring fair treatment and adequate living conditions for workers brought to Canada through the program.

To explore these claims further, the film switches back and forth between interviews with the group of Guatemalan workers and Eric Eingel, a university student who has spent the past six years working for the same employer.

Eric explains how the conditions for these workers are very different from their Canadian-born counterparts.  For example, he talks about how the migrant workers are given more challenging and dirty duties to perform. He even describes them as being treated like pieces of meat because they are asked to perform tasks that would normally be done using a machine. In Eric's opinion, the living conditions for these workers are also substandard.

Health and safety issues are another concern; the workers are not given proper safety equipment and are required to operate machinery for which they are not licensed.  Furthermore, the employer is deducting two hours off the workers' salaries every pay cheque, as compensation for the initial fees he is required to pay to transport the workers to Canada.  The workers have no knowledge of this practice.    

Benjamin, one of the workers from Guatemala, tells the interviewer that he finds Canadians to be very kind people and, when asked, he does not offer any recommendations for how his working conditions could be improved.  However, it is difficult to determine if Benjamin is answering honestly, given that he could face serious repercussions for speaking out against his situation. Ultimately, it is his employer who decides if he will come back to Canada to work for another season.  This means that Benjamin has little choice but to remain quiet about the exploitative conditions under which he works.  As the film explains, the number of applicants for the TFW program is greater than the number of positions.  If Benjamin speaks out, he will easily be replaced by one of the many individuals waiting to be recruited by a Canadian employer.

By providing perspectives from Guatemalan workers and a Canadian-born worker, the filmmakers illuminate the many abuses that occur under the Temporary Foreign Workers program, and lend credence to the claim that Canada is creating a second class of labourers.

http://talkingunion.wordpress.com

We found this short film to be very informative, and relevant to our examination of diversity within the workforce.  The film presents a stark contrast to much of the business communications literature dealing with this topic.  Nevertheless, it is evident that the diversity issues discussed in the literature, such as stereotyping, prejudice, and ethnocentrism, are applicable to the work environment portrayed in the film. However, given the nature of the work--temporary, seasonal, and labour-intensive--these attitudes are likely more prevalent in jobs under the Temporary Foreign Workers Program than in full-time, stable, white-collar jobs.

While the increasingly diverse nature of the workforce undoubtedly presents challenges for businesses, those challenges seem insignificant in light of the fact that a large proportion of that diversity--at least in terms of ethnicity--is concentrated within certain sectors of the economy, and in jobs that are exploitative.  It is interesting how many of the journal articles and websites devoted to diversity in the workplace do not mention or discuss this reality.

The one question that kept coming to mind while watching the film was: "Is this the increasingly diverse workforce that people in the business world are talking about?"  Does having a diverse workforce also mean that we have a second class, or underclass, of racialized workers?  The fact that the concept of equal pay for equal work does not apply to migrant workers left us wondering what kind of country we live in.  How can we be okay with workers like Benjamin doing the same, or in many cases more difficult, jobs as Canadian-born workers, but being paid less?

With the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada increasing each year, this 'second class' is also likely to grow, especially if nothing is done to change the programs that perpetuate it.  Like Eric, we agree that the substandard living and working conditions, as well as the pay discrepancies, experienced by temporary foreign workers need to be urgently addressed.  It is also clear that the program lacks adequate regulation and enforcement, which is the responsibility of the federal and provincial governments.  Canadians should demand that their representatives make these much-need changes to the TFW program as soon as possible.

Retrieved from http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/

National%20Office/2011/03/Colour%20Coded%20Labour%20Market.pdf

Here are some questions to consider/discuss:

1. At the end of the film, we are told that it is up to us, as Canadians, to ensure that migrants workers have the same rights and privileges that we do.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?  If you agree, how do you think this can be achieved?
2. In the past year, the federal government has made changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.  One of these changes allows employers to pay workers 15% less than what a Canadian would earn for the same job. Why do you think this change was made?  Do you agree with it?
3. In the above graph, what do you notice about the occupations that have the highest percentage of racialized workers?  How are those occupations different from the jobs done by non-racialized workers?  Can you relate this graph to what is portrayed in the film?
4. How do the issues raised in the film relate to law in Canada?  Do we have laws in place to protect workers  from the types of abuses that are discussed?

Vanderklippe, Nathan. (2012, May 6).  Does temporary foreign workers program create a second class of labourers?  The Globe and Mail.  Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/does-temporary-foreign-workers-program-create-second-class-of-labourers/article4105800/

Aboujay.  (2009, December 6).  Canada's Migrant Workers Part 1. Retrieved February 23, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=117Afbsoq3E

Aboujay.  (2009, December 6).  Canada's Migrant Workers Part 2. Retrieved February 23, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvD9YVmHexY