Nov 12

Warehouse Workers Commission Report and Launch

walmart works cause we work

An evening of food, culture and testimonials

Saturday, November 23, 2019, 4 pm – 6 pm

Immigrant Workers Centre, 4755 Ave Van Horne Suite 110, Montréal

https://www.facebook.com/events/2678167875566768/

The Immigrant Workers Centre would like to invite you to participate in the launch of our report which was based on a two-year investigation on the conditions faced by warehouse workers in Montreal. There will be an event on Saturday, November 23rd at 4 pm. This event will feature the testimonial of temporary agency workers in warehouses that are active in organizing, because of the conditions they face; from low-wages, job insecurity, health and safety, and for status. The event will also be a chance to celebrate and come together with cultural performances and a community dinner provided by the Guinean community.

This was a project that was led by a core group of 5 temporary agency workers, who conducted group interviews and surveys with 50 workers in Montreal warehouses and distribution centres which have become “the new factories” in Montreal. As e-commerce and just in time distribution plays a crucial role in neoliberalism from the rise of Amazon, and other retail giants focusing more on online sales. Warehouse workers become critical in the economy. These workers as highlighted in the report are mainly temporary agency workers without job security, without access to basic rights, and are often racialized workers from Africa, Haiti, the Philippines, Egypt and other places.

The report itself is not just an opportunity to discuss the conditions faced by these workers but a chance to come together in solidarity to find ways to organize for justice for these warehouse workers to defend their basic labour rights.

Related Posts

PRESS RELEASE | Health and Safety: the rights of a majority of employees poorly protected in Quebec

Camille Legault Thuot Montreal, February 29, 2024 - A survey conducted by IRIS and published today shows that the Quebec occupational health and safety regime is perpetuates the vulnerability of non-unionized workers, who represent nearly 60% of workers in Quebec. According to Mathieu Charbonneau, associate researcher at IRIS and author of the study, "the Act to modernize the occupational health and safety system adopted in 2021 will not provide satisfactory... Read more →

Public Sector Workers in Quebec Announce Another Week-long Strike Amidst Stalled Negotiations

Front Commun, Representing Over 400,000 Workers, Declares Strike from Dec. 8-14 By Taqwa Mohamed-Mahdi In a show of collective strength, hundreds of thousands of public sector workers in Quebec are gearing up for a week-long strike in December as contract negotiations with the provincial government hit an impasse. The Front Commun, a coalition of four major public sector unions representing around 420,000 members in health, education, and social services, made... Read more →

The IWC opposes the restrictive immigration policies in Quebec

On September 12, 2023, the Immigrant Workers Centre took part in the public hearings concerning immigration planning in Quebec for the period 2024-2027.  The IWC's intervention began with the testimony of Grace Meyanwi Anye, member of the Women's Committee, who presented the concrete impacts of restrictive migration policies on the lives of migrants. Then, three organizers shared the floor to criticize the orientations proposed by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).... Read more →

Montrealers Rally Against Bill-31, Urging Protection of Tenant Rights

Thousands of Montrealers took to the streets of Parc Extension to protest against Bill-31, a new law proposed in Quebec that would make it more difficult for tenants to transfer leases. The demonstration, organized by the Comité d'action de Parc-Extension (CAPE), RCLALQ Droit Au Logement, and the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI), aimed to fight for housing rights and to denounce the Coalition Avenir Québec's (CAQ) efforts to abolish lease transfers.... Read more →