TEMPORARY AGENCY WORKERS

Saturday, June 1st, 2013, 4:00 pm

Provided by Mouvement Action Chômage

4755 Van Horne Street, Suite # 110

Immigrant Worker Centre (IWC)

To answer all your questions:

Do I have the right to obtain unemployment benefits even if I don’t have papers?

Am I entitled for unemployment insurance if I don’t have an actual job but am still employed by an agency?

Can I access employment insurance if I was laid off or terminated?

FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION ABOUT

THE FUTURE AND PERTINENT ACTIONS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF TEMPORARY

AGENCY WORKERS

Where: In front of 800 Square Victoria, Montréal, QC H3C 1E8

Who: Migrant workers will be present to speak about their experiences and explain their demands

On Friday, May 24th, a coalition of organizations who defend the rights of people struggling with precarious work and will meet with representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity (Minister Agnès Maltais). This meeting follows a public consultation on April 5^th and a press conference on May 1^st to pressure the government to consult with some of the most vulnerable people in our society as the Parti Québecois prepares a new law on precarious work. During this meeting, these organizations explained concretely the issues surrounding precarious work. In their words:

“My status as a temporary worker forced me into many exploitative situations. I had to face employers who were discriminatory and racist. One of the employers didn’t pay my salary at all until I filed a complaint with the Commission des Normes du Travail, while another restaurant never paid me at all. Right now I am working as a cook with the lowest wage among other cooks…The temporary status creates exploitation” Neil, from the Coalition of Temporary Workers

“I work at a company that hires 90% workers from temporary placement agencies. They are fired without cause, work without basic workplace safety requirements, are not given holiday pay and overtime, are not able to make complaints about highly dangerous workplace situations, and are still considered “temporary” workers after years of continuous employment”. Louis, from the Temporary Agency Worker Association

The Minister has heard us. We are only waiting for her to act with full consideration of those who are most affected by her legal project; namely those with precarious work and status situations.

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For more information:

Noé Arteaga (French/Spanish) noe@iwc-cti.ca

Mostafa Henaway (English) mostafa@iwc-cti.ca

Source:

Immigrant Worker’s Centre: (514) 342-2111  (CTI-IWC)

Temporary Agency Worker’s Association (ATTAP-TAWA)

Dignidad Migrante

Mexicans United for Regularisation

PINAY

PRESS POINT (before the demonstration)
SATURDAY, MAY 18 at 10AM
at Phillips Square (Union & Ste-Catherine)

contact: solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com / 438-875-7243 (cell)
info: www.solidarityacrossborders.org
for updates during the march, follow @SolidariteMTL on twitter

Speakers at the Press Point will include members of Dignidad Migrante, the Immigrant Workers Center, Mexicans United for Regularization, No One Is Illegal-Montreal and Solidarity Across Borders.
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FRIDAY, MAY 17 — Migrant justice organizations will be marching in four contingents across the City of Montreal as part of a family-friendly demonstration called “STATUS FOR ALL” this coming Saturday, May 18.

Contingents will be starting at 1pm from Verdun (métro de l’Église), Côte-des-Neiges (Kent Park), Villeray (métro Jarry) and Hochelaga (Valois & Ontario). All contingents will be converging at Phillips Square at 4pm for a migrant justice festival.

The demonstration will be demanding an end to deportations and detentions, as well as the end of the double punishment of migrants with criminal records. Demonstrators are marching together to build a Solidarity CIty in Montreal.
—–

photo by Natalia Lara Diaz-Berro

ARTISTS’ BLOC du CTI-IWCyou are invited to join this exciting project in community activist art, co-created by workers and for workers to share stories of resistance and dignity in struggle. /

FB: www.facebook.com/groups/197543913729369/

Friday, May 17th, 9:30am

Immigration Canada 1010 Saint-Antoine Ouest, Montréal

With the friends of Ms Guzman and a representative of the Status for All Coaltion

Media Contact : 514-619-3648, 514-632-0072

The day before the annual status for all march for all migrants and for the end of detentions and deportations, six Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) agents violently entered the home of non-status Montrealer, Norma Guzman, arresting her and her daughter, aged 18 months. Ms Guzman and her Canadian born daughter are presently detained at the Laval detention centre and risk being deported to Mexico. Journalists are invited to attend a press conference tomorrow morning in front of Immigration Canada, 1010 Sainte-Antoine Ouest, in order to learn more about Ms Guzman’s situation. A representative will explain why the Status for All Coalition is demanding the regularization of all personnes without status, in addition to the end to the violent and brutal practices of detention and deportation of migrants. Within a context of increasingly aggressive immigration policies targeting migrants, the Status for All Coalition is calling on community organisations to join the Solidarity City campaign to make Montreal a “city without borders” – a secure and accessible city for all, no matter their immigration status. The Status for All march will be taking place this Saturday, May 18^th at 1:00pm, departing from 4 locations (Côte-des-Neiges, Verdun, Hochelaga et Villeray) and will be converging at 4pm in Phillips Square.

:: CONTEXT ::

Norma Guzman

Last night, Norma Guzman and her Canadian born daughter Camille, 18 months, were arrested by six Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) agents. One of the agents entered through the kitchen window while the others screamed at Ms Guzman, who was terrified as she opened her door. The agents frisked Ms Guzman and threatened her in front of her daughter. Since arriving at the detention centre, Ms Guzman told her friends “they terrorized us. The way that they entered our home was aggressive and humiliating”.

Ms Guzman and Camille will be having their detention review hearing in front of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) in 48 hours. Ms Guzman has lived and worked in Montreal since 2008, after having fled persecution in Mexico and having looked for refuge in Canada. In 2011, her application for permanent residency through humanitarian and compassionate grounds was refused. Pregnant and afraid of the idea of returning to Mexico, she decided to stay in Canada in order to ensure a better life for her daughter. Norma has a strong degree to community support around her and Camille. She has been volunteering at her daughter’s daycare and she has always worked to support her and her daughter’s needs. Norma said to the agents who detained her: “you are chasing after me and arresting me as if I am a criminal”. But it’s not a crime to want to stay here so that I can protect myself from the dangers that await me in my country of origin”.

For more info: 514-619-3648 514-632-0072
mexicanxsunidxs@gmail.com

Source:

Coalition Un Statut pour Tou.te.s Mexicain.e.s Uni.e.s pour la Régularisation (MUR), Dignidad Migrante, Solidarity across Borders, Immigrant Workers Centre, No One Is Illegal, CDHAL

For more info on the Status for All March :
http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org/en/may-18-status-for-all-demonstration