Alberta: Jobs disappear; wages fall

[ConsƦcons]

The Huffington Post Alberta | Posted: 05/05/2013


Temporary Foreign Workers In Alberta: Report Shows Flood Of TFW As Jobs
Disappear, Wages Fall


What was intended to be a tool aimed at preventing economic retreat and
loss of revenue due to labour shortages, has become a go-to solution for
companies to artificially keep labour costs down, according to a new report.

The Temporary Foreign Workers Program has evolved into an effective tool
used by corporations to increase their profit margins. Alberta opponents
of the TFWP claim it does so on the backs of foreign and Canadian
workers, and say the province is ground zero for the worst offences,
abuses and misuses of the controversial program.

The TFWP has left Albertans out of work and bred a subculture of foreign
worker abuse, claims the Alberta Federation of Labour in a report titled
From Last Resort to First Choice. The report, released earlier this
week, allegedly highlights all that is shady and ugly about the federal
program.

Debate over the controversial initiative reached a fevered pitch this
week, and prompted the federal government to announce a list of changes
to the TFWP.

But the changes are too little to affect any kind of meaningful change,
claims AFL president Gil McGowan.

Figures in the report outline a pattern that shows how the program has
had negative impacts on job seekers, on average wages and questions
whether the premise for the federal program was even valid during, and
post, the recession.

According to those numbers, the program has led to artificially low
wages, and has allegedly also contributed to soaring unemployment,
harassment and abuse of foreigners working in Alberta.

The report outlines how foreign workers under the program have little
recourse when faced with abusive situations at work, for they are
dependant on the employer to remain working and residing in Canada. It
also expresses concerns about how workers end up in Alberta under false
promises, while others are tricked or forced to pay into shady dealings
in order to remain in the country.


Too often, instead of legitimately earning their fee from
employers, recruiters charge prospective foreign workers for work
placement, which is illegal under several provincial laws. In Alberta,
for example, workers are charged recruitment fees ranging on average
between $2,000 and $8,000, with some approaching $20,000. In addition,
recruiters sometimes engage in illicit conduct, such as charging a fee
to bring the worker to Canada for a job that never existed, no longer
exists when the worker arrives, or exists for only a short time before
the worker is laid off. Recruiters have also disseminated
misinformation, such as exaggerating the amount a worker can expect to
earn in Canada, and providing incorrect information about the worker¹s
opportunities to obtain permanent resident status once in Canada.
Furthermore, recruiters often charge very high fees for other services,
such as obtaining an extension of a work permit (House of Commons Canada
2009, 31). -From Last Resort To First Choice

REST IF STORY HERE:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/05/05/temporary-foreign-workers-alberta-report_n_3220017.html?utm_hp_ref=canada

[Test on Gate]

On Sun, 05 May 2013 17:35:48 -1200, ConsƦcons wrote:

>
> The Huffington Post Alberta | Posted: 05/05/2013
>

Interesting we should only hear of this from Huffington (thanks, A;).

The fact is the current policy allows the importation and use of
slave labor by another name. I would propose that the following:

1. No person of foreign birth should be employed either by contract or
appointment to public service(Gov, 'crats, etc), except by open election.

2. No person of foreign birth should be employed in Canada, except as
an immigrant with the intent of obtaining Canadian Citizenship,
(and thereby being subject to Canadian taxes and labor codes).

Harper and his Cons are divesting the Commonwealth of Canada as fast
as they can, and slaves, I spose, are just another stroke of evil
genius.

Dhu




--
Ne obliviscaris, vix ea nostra voco.

[Liberals are VERMIN]

EnviroKOOKS are the greatest threat to jobs in Alberta.

[ConsƦcons]

The Huffington Post Alberta | Posted: 05/05/2013

earn in Canada, and providing incorrect information about the worker¹s

opportunities to obtain permanent resident status once in Canada.
Furthermore, recruiters often charge very high fees for other services,
such as obtaining an extension of a work permit (House of Commons Canada
2009, 31). -From Last Resort To First Choice

Several other studies conducted into the matter by universities, and
even the Fraser Institute, have spoken out against the program and back
the findings made by the AFL report.

Simon Fraser University professor emeritus Herb Grubel, who writes
frequently for the Fraser Institute, told the Vancouver Sun this week
the program only helps the employer at the expense of proper business
practices and at the cost of Canadian workers.

Grubel describes the TFW program to the Vancouver Sun as a business
subsidy that lets frequent users avoid increasing wages to attract
workers, invest in training, or automate production to boost productivity.

Canadians shouldn't "swallow this argument made by employers who would
rather hire immigrants than pay higher wages," Grubel told the Sun.

An Institute for Research On Public Policy report titled Do Short-Term
Economic Needs Prevail over Human Rights Concerns? states the nature of
the program makes foreign workers susceptible to all the aforementioned
abuses.

"A significant factor is the restrictive nature of the work permit
(temporary foreign workers are often tied to one job, one employer and
one location), which can have the practical effect of limiting their
employment rights and protections," the report states.

"Other problems include illegal recruitment practices, misinformation
about migration opportunities and lack of enforcement mechanisms."

According to evidence from research conducted by the University of
Alberta, as well as parliamentary committees, the abuse foreign workers
are subjected to by their Canadian employers is well documented.

Although the program's effect on Alberta workers in its worst form is
not as oppressive as it is on the foreign workers themselves, it is as
pronounced and has long-term ramifications, the AFL report states.

The TFWP has had a tangible effect on Alberta's economic realities,
keeping many out of work and keeping the wages of others low, while
economic pressures continue to siege families and escalate across the
province.

The original purpose of the TFWP when launched in 2004 was to address
acute labour shortages in critical and specific industries and sectors,
such as academia, and other specialized professions and trades.

But, in Alberta, it took on a life of its own during the oil sands boom
between 2004 and 2008.

What it has turned into now is a quick and cheap source of labour for
cost-adverse employers, the AFL report states.

"The oil sands boom meant wages had to keep pace with an economy that
was lurching ahead ­ without a plan for labour or skills shortages ­ and
employers wanted a way to contain labour costs," the report says.

"The only way to defy the laws of economic gravity is to flood the
labour market with a supply of workers who are unlikely to demand higher
wages, better standards, pensions, or benefits.

"When employers get easy access to vulnerable groups of lower-paid
temporary workers, wages and benefits don't have to keep pace with
economic growth. It puts downward pressure on wages when they should be
going up."

The plan also became an aggravating factor during the recession, when
unemployment grew at a violent pace, the report states.

As the unemployment rate swelled, so did the number of foreign workers
flooding into the province, particularly those hired to perform menial
jobs, which resulted in less work for Albertans with limited skill, as
the jobs they would normally take were now taken up by TFWs and the jobs
that they could get were at a deflated wage, the report adds.

The AFL study, which bases its findings on figures obtained from
Statistics Canada, Citizenship and Immigration, Human Resources Services
and Development Canada, and census figures, shows the correlation
between Alberta's unemployment rate, wages and the growing number of
temporary foreign workers being brought in to Alberta.

The numbers in the study state that despite the economic recovery
experienced by the country, and particularly Alberta since 2008, the
number of people making $13/hour or less has remained the same since the
height of the recession in 2008 likely due to the continuing flood of
underpaid foreign workers, states the report.

The youth unemployment rate has also remained steady since 2009, again,
due to an unprecedented number of unskilled foreign workers coming into
the province, it adds.

Numbers show that Alberta youth unemployment (ages between 15 and 24) is
actually on the rise, with the rate growing from 26,900 during the
recession, to 38,200 in 2011.


The number of workers in Alberta aged 20 to 24 remains effectively
unchanged (200,500 workers in 2009; 200,600 in 2011). But the number of
young people earning less than $13/hour has actually increased. In 2009,
54,200 young Albertans earned $13/hour or less, in 2011, it was 54,800.
Low wages and high unemployment are a growing phenomenon for young
people in Alberta.


Particularly in these sectors, there was never really a shortage of
labour, states the report. What there was, was a shortage of people
willing to do those jobs for less money, it states.

"The evidence is stark: Alberta employers are bringing in more TFWs than
are needed to fill the new jobs the economy is creating... labour market
conditions are not dictating TFW policy," states the report.

"Outside booming oilsands regions, the situation can be far more stark.
Consider Medicine Hat, where the economy has shed more than 10,000 jobs
since 2008 but hundreds more Temporary Foreign Workers arrive."

Additionally, many workers are being forced to become involuntary
part-time employees, further driving down wages and the need for benefits.

During the height of the recession, in 2009, small-town Alberta saw the
arrival of 13,480 new TFW, adding to the 29,385 already present, as
18,500 jobs disappeared.

The story is even more marked in 2010, when 213 per cent more TFW
arrived than jobs were created, at a time when there already were 527
per cent more TFW than new jobs.
And there's little economic benefit to municipalities from having such a
large population of temporary workers, despite the fact that population
is large enough to put a significant demand on health services and real
stress on municipal and provincial infrastructure, the AFL states.

By scale, their impact is even more profound on smaller municipalities.


For municipalities, stagnant wages at the lowest end of the job
market means an erosion of the tax base, fewer homeowners, and less
stability for local small business. Temporary Foreign Workers cannot put
down roots in our communities. While most would like to live in Canada
as permanent residents, their temporary status means they are likely to
send most of their earnings back to their country of origin. Because
they are not allowed to stay in Alberta, they are not going to be buying
furniture for newly-purchased homes or having their cars serviced at the
local mechanic¹s shop. They are not investing their money in their local
credit union, or taking out a loan for a new vehicle. They do not have
disposable income to spend at the local café or sporting goods shop.


The impact these labour populations have on their communities was made
clear during the beef recall crisis that struck Brooks, where the
slaughterhouse at the epicentre of last fall's E. coli scare is located.

Brooks, located in eastern Alberta and with a population of just more
than 13,000, found itself in a state of crisis after more than 2,000
workers, hundreds of them classified as temporary foreign workers, were
left without income when XL Foods was forced to close down.
^^^^^^^^ <=== largest beef recall in Canadian
history (E coli)

With no savings, disposable income or any real possessions to leverage
for quick income, many of them were forced to rely on the community for
everything from food to shelter until the plant reopened two months later.

What Alberta needs, rather than the TFWP, is better and more effective
immigration policies, for government and industry to make themselves
responsible for training Albertans, and for industry to pay workers
salaries dictated by market pressures, the report concludes.

[ConsƦcons]

earn in Canada, and providing incorrect information about the worker¹s

opportunities to obtain permanent resident status once in Canada.
Furthermore, recruiters often charge very high fees for other services,
such as obtaining an extension of a work permit (House of Commons Canada
2009, 31). -From Last Resort To First Choice

[Dhu on Gate]

On Sun, 05 May 2013 17:35:48 -1200, ConsƦcons wrote:

>

> The Huffington Post Alberta | Posted: 05/05/2013
>

[Canuck57]

On 05/05/2013 11:35 PM, ConsƦcons wrote:
> The Huffington Post Alberta | Posted: 05/05/2013
>
>
> Temporary Foreign Workers In Alberta: Report Shows Flood Of TFW As Jobs
> Disappear, Wages Fall

I get a kick out of big government idiocracy and statism stupidity.

So Ottawa, Liberal, NDP and Cons want to immigrate some 250,000 mostly
Muslims and Hindus onto social assistance but we will not allow
Christian Mexicans to come to take jobs the lazy basta-rd Canadians will
not take.

As far as wages, what makes you lazy basta-rds think you are worth more
than a Mexican wages in Mexico? Mexicans on the low end labour group
work harder, whine less and do the low to no skill jobs. You just have
to take an all inclusive vacation to see most Mexicans work harder.

But hey, this is Canada, the land of liberal-statism screwing producers
for well over 3 million useless people on welfare, FN and EI too idiotic
to function right.

--
Liberal-socialism is a great idea so long as the credit is good and
other people pay for it. When the credit runs out and those that pay
for it leave, they can all share having nothing but debt and discontentment.

[Canuck57]

On 06/05/2013 4:09 PM, Dhu on Gate wrote:
> On Sun, 05 May 2013 17:35:48 -1200, ConsƦcons wrote:
>
>>
>> The Huffington Post Alberta | Posted: 05/05/2013
>>
>
>
> Interesting we should only hear of this from Huffington (thanks, A;).
>
> The fact is the current policy allows the importation and use of
> slave labor by another name. I would propose that the following:

BS. Pretty obvious in Canada that social assistance pays too much.
People who are unemployed tend to fit in one or more of the following:

- G12 drop outs
- ex-cons
- welfare moms with legs open
- immigration that should have never occurred
- first nations, too lazy to fix their own problems and mentally fried
so bad they can't build their own homes let alone maintain them.

Heck, I started working for $1.61/hr, came from the poor side of the
tracks and retired early as I saved so much and invested it. Like many
successful immigrants, I save in good times....practice good old
fashioned prudence and fiscal planning.

Maybe time to eliminate welfare, FN, EI and other peoples money for
nothing programs and replace it all with workfare like real successful
socialist nations do.

Concept is simple, for those willing to work and show up, government
guarantees a 75% of minimum wage job. No show, no pay. You can even
get days off to look for a job but must show you didn't goof off.

Fact is like monkeys, they need to be trained.

I really get a kick how we take in 250,000+ mostly Hindu and Muslim
immigrants without jobs, yet turn around Mexicans getting jobs. Just
more Ottawa-statism idiocracy bloat and stupidity.

[Canuck57]

Why, are you afraid your Muslim or Hindu buddies might get cut off of
social assistance?

[Canuck57]

On 06/05/2013 11:18 PM, Liberals are VERMIN wrote:
> EnviroKOOKS are the greatest threat to jobs in Alberta.

As the old saying goes for the liberal left idiocracy.

If you can't do something productive, whine a lot. This is Canada.

[ConsRconž]

On 5/12/2013 7:43 AM, Canuck57 wrote:
> I get a kick out of big government idiocracy and statism stupidity.
>
> So Ottawa, Liberal, NDP and Cons want to immigrate some 250,000 mostly
> Muslims and Hindus onto social assistance but we will not allow
> Christian Mexicans to come to take jobs the lazy basta-rd Canadians will
> not take.

Their being "Christians" doesn't change anything in the numbers of
Canadians they're displacing. Those banking types at RBC were
highly-trained productive, tax-paying people - before Harper & Co
decided to allow in "hindus & muslims" from India and Pakistan.

> As far as wages, what makes you lazy basta-rds think you are worth more
> than a Mexican wages in Mexico? Mexicans on the low end labour group
> work harder, whine less and do the low to no skill jobs. You just have
> to take an all inclusive vacation to see most Mexicans work harder.

Mexicans don't spend their Canadian earnings in Canada, ya dumb rabbit.
They earn Canadian wages to send back to the Mexican economy. You see
no problem with that?

> But hey, this is Canada, the land of liberal-statism screwing producers
> for well over 3 million useless people on welfare, FN and EI too idiotic
> to function right.

Hell, this is also a country with stupid people like yourself willing to
sell out Canadians to any other country which will work for less,
because it costs much, much less for them to live on our wages back in
their countries.

IOW: You're too stupid to debate with. But a very "useful idiot" for
the governments the likes of Harper & Co. Now we see how he managed to
fool the voters. A lot of them are fools.

[ConsRconž]

On 5/12/2013 7:57 AM, Canuck57 wrote:
> As the old saying goes for the liberal left idiocracy.
>
> If you can't do something productive, whine a lot. This is Canada.

There's another saying:
Jesus may love you, but everyone else thinks you’re an idiot.

[ConsRconž]

On 5/12/2013 7:55 AM, Canuck57 wrote:
> BS. Pretty obvious in Canada that social assistance pays too much.

I wonder how 'Greg Carr' and others in his situation feel about your
'assessment'?

[Dhu on Gate]

On Sun, 12 May 2013 08:55:12 -0600, Canuck57 wrote:

> I really get a kick how we take in 250,000+ mostly Hindu and Muslim
> immigrants without jobs, yet turn around Mexicans getting jobs. Just more
> Ottawa-statism idiocracy bloat and stupidity.

Hey asshat, did I say anything about the "source" of the slaves?
Mexicans and Chinese coming here should be landed and pay the
taxes like the rest of us.