Workplace rights violations usually go unreported, left-leaning think tank says
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 | 9:24 AM ET
CBC News
Women emigrating from the Philippines to B.C. are often stuck with low paying jobs and little protection of their rights, a new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says.
The report says that many of the immigrants, who are highly educated, receive insufficient training, work in unsafe conditions and get paid below minimum wage, co-author Habiba Zaman told CBC News.
"Because of the changes of the [B.C.] Employment Standards Act, the workplace environment has been eroded," Zaman said Monday.
"If no one has informed you of your rights and no one is actively enforcing them, how can you enjoy the protections that are supposed to exist for all workers in B.C.?"
The report, entitled "Workplace Rights for Immigrants in B.C.: The Case of Filipino Workers," was released Monday. It blames the B.C. government for allowing employers to have the ability to take advantage of new immigrants, because of a rolling back of employment standards when the government came to power five years ago.
Zaman said many immigrants continually get paid the $6 per hour training wage even after a long period of time, and violations are rarely reported.
Further, violations are not often investigated and there are few avenues for workers who want to complain about mistreatment, said Leah Diana, a spokeswoman for the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada.
"The government has gutted the Employment Standards Act in 2002 and we have seen direct impacts on our community," Diana said.
Zaman said the only avenue to complain is through self-help kits supplied by the government, which are only available in English.
B.C. Labour Minister Olga Ilich was not available for comment Monday but a spokesperson for her office said help with the kits is available at employment offices.
Philippine Women Centre of British Columbia
Member of the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC)
c/o Kalayaan Centre, 451 Powell Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6A 1G7
Phone: 604.215.1103 | Fax: 604.215.1905 | Web: www.kalayaancentre.net/pwcofbc