Better protection urged for temporary foreign workers in Alberta

Canada, 13th September: Temporary foreign workers in Alberta must be extended better protection in order to prevent them from exploitation by the employers, findings of a new report assert.

The report by a parliamentary assistant for the Tories brings forth the vulnerability of newcomers in Alberta coming to work here as temporary workers.

Better laws for temporary immigrant workers in Alberta--According to Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta Employment and Immigration Minister, there is a need for not just upgrading but also strengthening immigration laws for the making the process of recruitment more smooth.

Speaking during a press conference held in Calgary last week while unveiling the report, Lukaszuk said the rules govern an industry bringing around 25,000 foreign workers in Alberta last year. There is a lot of pressure on temporary foreign workers to get jobs after coming to Alberta, Lukaszuk stated.

Moreover, many such workers try their best to stay here as longer as they can since their jobs offer middle-class existence to their families back home, he maintained.

Alberta businesses misuse labor laws--Out of the total employers hiring temporary foreign workers coming to Alberta, around 75 percent were found to be misusing labor regulations, as per the government records pertaining to last two years.

And majority of the abuse by Alberta businesses hiring temporary foreign workers involved failure in paying premium for work done on statutory holidays or wages for overtime.

And this is definitely a cause of serious concern, states president of Alberta Federation of Labor, Gil McGowan. He cited the example of another Canadian province Manitoba that was exemplary in terms of abiding by labor standards as well as rules pertaining to workplace safety before registrations for recruiting temporary foreign workers.

Manitoba has a requirement for all employers in the province to possess license as immigration advisors and does not allow them to charge any fees for finding them suitable jobs here.

McGowan was all praises for Lukaszuk saying the its really good that the minister understands the plight of temporary foreign workers.

He said the minister even accepts that Alberta temporary workers program needs immediate changes. McGowan further added that Alberta needs to have tougher enforcement and inspection if it really wants to curb widespread abuse of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in Alberta.

Every year, around 280,000 immigrants come to Canada while the number of temporary foreign workers coming to Canada each year is said to be 350,000.