News Release
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The Precarious Labour Forum—June 23rd, at 6:30PM, North Bay Public Library Auditorium, 271 Worthington Street East, North Bay.
A serious discussion about precarious labour in the Near North has never been more necessary. Working together, the North Bay and District Labour Council and the Nipissing University Staff Association have organized a second forum on Precarious Labour. This time however the discussion will include practical tips for individuals and groups to participate in the Ministry of Labour’s Changing Workplaces Review. The Ontario government wants to improve the Ontario Labour Relations Act and the Ontario Employment Standards Act, taking into account the reality that the nature of work has significantly changed over the past two decades, for both workers and employers.
At the recent and well-attended Precarious Labour Forum held in North Bay, last April, NUFA’s Gyllie Phillips moderated a knowledgeable panel on the topic of precarious work, including casualization and under-employment issues. The room unanimously agreed that the options for secure and good paying employment are likely decreasing, exposing the reality that part-time, low-paying employment might be a growing trend. According to a recently published analysis of Statistics Canada’s numbers, by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Sheila Block, Ontario is experiencing a significant downturn in quality, stable employment, and North Bay is no different. The number of minimum wage and low paying jobs are drastically increasing, it’s getting more and more challenging for folks to land a 40 per hour job, and shift scheduling is becoming more unpredictable and demanding. For example, the share of Ontario workers earning $4 off the minimum wage has exploded in the last 20 years, with nearly 30 percent of workers in Ontario earning less than $15 per hour. Moreover, close to 50 percent of all employees in Ontario work less than 40 hours per week, which drastically decreases their overall earning potential.
Where are the good jobs going? Is it a question of changing demographics, improvements in technology, privatization, government politics, global trade? “One thing is certain,” says Henri Giroux, President of the North Bay and District Labour Council, “North Bay and area is seeing increases in precariously employed workers like never before.” He adds that “low-paid workers in North Bay are finding life harder and harder to afford because food costs more, hydro costs more, childcare, rent, utilities—all sharply increasing in costs, let alone the fact that quality post-secondary education is also becoming more and more unattainable for low-paid area citizens.” During the panel discussion, an audience member asked mentioned that the discussion is a good thing, “but what can we do about it, what can we do next?”
As a result of a Ministry of Labour plan to consult Ontario regions about labour and employment standards, the time has come for the next step. The Liberal government wants to know what we think about changing workplaces in the modern economy, and how changing the Labour Relations Act and the Employment Standards Act might improve the working lives of Ontario citizens. The June 23rd Precarious Labour Forum will serve, not only as discussion on an increasingly important topic, but also as a practical guide to help people voice their concern about workplace issues.
The Ministry of Labour’s Changing Workplaces Review is visiting Sudbury, July 23rd. We need to take this opportunity to formally share our thoughts about precarious labour with the review and the Ontario government.
