Doug Parton, Business Manager and Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Ironworkers Local 97 made the following statement in response to the Minister’s announcement:
“Today’s announcement on the changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers program are well intentioned but don’t get to the root of the problem to protect good wages and Canadian jobs.
The Job Bank numbers to classify both low wage and high wage positions within the program are well below industry wages. While a 20 per cent increase to the high wages is a well-intentioned idea, it doesn’t come close to bringing up the wages to the industry average. And is even further from what a living wage is in many parts of the country. Still creating an incentive for bad faith employers who are looking to abuse the program to pay their workers a lower age.
To systemically fix the program in order to protect good jobs and good wages – the Minister can fix the way the Job Bank classifies industry averages which would make sure that temporary foreign workers are paid fairly and priority given to local jobs.
Without amending this program, the government will continue to allow a system that disadvantages Canadian workers and lets employers manipulate the process to make more profits at the expense of working families in our communities.”
About Ironworkers Local 97:
Ironworkers Local 97 represent 2,300 hardworking men, women, and workers in underrepresented group in British Columbia and Yukon, including workers in their apprenticeship that are 21 per cent Indigenous and seven per cent women. Ironworkers build the infrastructure British Columbians rely on, from the buildings they work in, to the bridges they travel across. Ironworkers are building our communities from the ground up.