Time for action on temp workers
Re North York bakery fined $300,000 in the death of a temp worker, Sept. 15 Three deaths, a $300,000 fine, a 25-per-cent victim surcharge, front-page exposure following an undercover investigation — and the bagels and croissants keep on rolling.
I must not forget the self-serving platitudes from the company and the serious promise of an audit. An audit is what your reporter completed: an inspection, a check, an independent scrutiny and evaluation into the company’s action.
How many more investigations are needed to affirm the deaths of three workers before action is taken? An independent audit with no clauses about transparency or promises of action is selfserving and dangerous. Where are the city of Toronto and the province? Are three deaths not enough for them to take action? Don Graves, Burlington Congratulations to Sara Mojtehedzadeh and Brendan Kennedy for such an exemplary piece of investigative journalism.
Notwithstanding its shortcomings, I believe Temp Nation is serving a vital function to certain segments of society who could not normally work elsewhere.
To many new immigrants, refugees or those either seeking curial review of or evading removal orders, getting into Temp Nation is a necessary inconvenience to survive in Canada while struggling to acquire legal status.
Imposing such restrictions as equal pay with permanent workers and shorter durations for temp workers would make the system very inflexible. Companies like Fiera Foods might consider moving portions of their supply chain to Mexico.
For many citizens of Temp Nation, the working conditions (including wages) at places like Fiera are a significant improvement over the realities in their home countries. We should be careful not to throw out the temp baby with the temp bath water. David Adeyinka Coker, Brampton