Oct 22

Press Conference: stop fraudulent Temp agencies

URGENT!
The Government must stop Temporary Workers Agencies and their clients’ fraudulent practices

The day after Radio-Canada’s broadcast of the TV program, “Enquête”, on October 21st 2010, Au bas de l’échelle and the Immigrant Workers Centre denounce the government’s laxity that makes it possible for some agencies to systematically abuse workers who are most vulnerable.

It is obvious, as demonstrated in “Enquête”, that some Temporary Workers Agencies are enterprises of organized fraud. These agencies exploit people that are seeking a means to survive and are not familiar with the labour market and its related laws. Companies that use these agencies are also responsible for that exploitation.

For many years, our organizations have denounced the consequences that result from the absence of regulation of Temporary Workers Agencies and the companies that use them to circumvent labour laws. There are numerous problems including: exploitation, rights violations, exposure to risk of injury, and contracts with abusive clauses. Many reports have been produced; many meetings with labour ministers have been held. There are many good examples of surveillance that have been implemented in different countries as well as in other Canadian provinces. However in Quebec, nothing has been done!

Our demands are:

  • That agencies must obtain an annually renewable licence to operate and that this licence be revoked in the event labour laws are not respected. Agencies functioning without a licence should be closed and subject to penalty.
  • That agency clients be held jointly responsible for any law infractions and reimbursements of sums due to workers they have abused.
  • That workers of Temporary Workers Agencies benefit from the same workplace safety and injury prevention regulations as any other client employee. Statistics demonstrate that workers of Temporary Workers Agencies are, year after year, subject to the highest rates of workplace accidents. Agency workers are all too often used to perform high risk jobs in the workplace.
The conference will be held on October 22nd, 10AM at the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC):
4755 Van Horne Avenue (near Victoria, Plamondon metro), suite 110. Immigrant workers will be there to speak about their experiences with Temporary Workers Agencies.

Contacts:

Joey Calugay,
Immigrant Workers Centre: 514-342-2111

 
Carole Henry,
Au Bas de l’Échelle: 514-270-7863

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