Unequal wages for equal work

Foreign Temporary Worker program hurts job market for everyone.

by Mehdi Rizvi

Human resources Minister Diane Finley announced recently that Canada would now allow employers to pay temporary foreign workers wages that are 15 percent less than Canadians earn. In March budget, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said employers would have to make every effort to hire local Canadians before they would be allowed to bring in temporary foreign workers.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney further added that unemployed Canadian workers who refuse to accept low-wage jobs would lose EI benefits. He said that, if they accept these jobs, our need for temporary foreign workers would be reduced.

This vision appears on paper to have some merit. But it is not easy to understand, foresee, forecast and analyze what the federal government really wants to achieve from this research-deficient rapid transformation from permanent to temporary immigration.

When it comes to reforms in any area of immigration policy, most of the time we have seen a mismatch between government claims and accuracy, as seen in a recent claim by Jason Kenney during a discussion with the Toronto Star's editorial board last month.

He said "We are committed to maintain intake of more than 250.000 immigrants a year, benefiting from their skills, resources, energy and fresh ideas that newcomers bring."

Immigrants have long memories. They remember repeated failures of past immigration policies for their huge waste of immigrants' talent, reduced opportunities, poor outcomes, increased poverty and permanent frustration found in millions of highly educated and skilled immigrants who have been living here for years with out finding proper jobs in relevant fields. They could neither move forward in career advancements, nor they could positively contribute their education, experience and skills they had brought with them, to Canadian economy.

On the policy side, the temporary foreign workers' program was started in 2000 to deal with shortage of software specialists in a limited area. The government later extended the program to various other skills and avenues of economic development, probably with the aim of acquiring cheap laborers with minimum needs, maximum outputs and minimal rights.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada website, the Temporary Foreign Workers program allows eligible foreign workers to work in Canada for an authorized period of time, if employers can demonstrate that they are unable to find suitable Canadians/permanent residents to fill the jobs and that entry of these workers will not have a negative impact on the Canadian labour market. Employers from all business types can hire foreign workers with a wide range of skills to meet temporary labour shortages (CIC2009)

CIC'S publication Facts and Figures shows, in 2008,the number of temporary workers in Canada (251,235) exceeded the total number of permanent residents admitted in the same year (247,243). By 2011 there were 300,111 temporary workers serving in various areas, from agriculture to coffee shops.

The increase in temporary migration levels in the last few years have led to a sharp debate over a shift in policy. There is no doubt that temporary workers are the most exploited and least cared-for workers in Canada, because fact, they are permanently temporary. Denying them equal pay will further exploit the already exploited and may in fact bring down overall pay levels for all Canadians. Employers would prefer to hire cheap labour and recession-hit Canadian workers will be forced by circumstances to accept any available job — as Jason Kenney advised.

Paying unequal wages for equal work does not meet any ethical standard of a civilized society, especially Canada, which has a track record of respecting the dignity of labour and equality of all human beings. It's obviously a new kind of discrimination with old excuses in 21st century. All workers serving the country should be entitled for the same opportunities, protections and rights.

In addition to the exploitation of workers, there are many other hidden cultural, social and humanitarian issues that need to be researched and debated, before the government expands of the temporary workers program.

Living away from families on a single status employment visa for many years with limited income, no benefits and supporting two households — one back home and the other here — costs a lot, and creates serious socio-cultural and psychological problems for temporary workers here as well as their families back home.

The true colours of the temporary workers program can be seen in oil-rich Arabian Gulf states. Hundreds of thousands of temporary workers who come from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan and many other poor countries suffer from all kinds of stress-related diseases, psychological disorders and family issues.

The current living and working conditions of most of the temporary workers, in remote, and snow covered provinces and territories of Canada, are deplorable, with practically no health, social or vacation benefits.

Jenna Hennebry, Associate Director of the International Migration Research Centre at Wilfred Laurier University, says that her survey of 600 migrant farm workers in Ontario revealed that many were fearful of telling their employers that they were sick or injured. Others were afraid to report unsafe work conditions, because they worried about being fired — which could lead to losing their immigration status and participation in the temporary work program. The penalties imposed by government don't work. Actually, official records don't really show any punishment given to employers for violations of rules.

Why can't we make a national pool of locally available talent from immigrant newcomers who are searching for any kind of available job and try to absorb them before expanding temporary workers program and creating more unemployment in immigrant communities and chaos in labour market?

Immigration policy has shifted from welcoming nation builders (permanent residents) to shuffling around economic units (temporary workers).