British Columbia Federation of Labour

Expanding Temporary Foreign Worker Program and freezing minimum wage hurts BC workers

Vancouver-After losing more than 76,000 jobs in the last year, this is the wrong time for the Gordon Campbell Liberals to call for an increase to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, said B.C. Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair.

"BC is losing jobs faster than any province in Canada, yet Gordon Campbell and his Liberals are promising to expand the use of cheap, exploited, foreign labour," Sinclair says.

From 2004 to 2008 more than 165,000 temporary foreign workers came to BC with almost 50,000 arriving last year. The Federation has advocated for a complete halt to the program and advocates for greater enforcement of the human rights of the foreign workers already here.

"This cheap labour strategy is completely in line with Campbell's mean-spirited refusal to increase BC's minimum wage for the last eight years," says Sinclair.

While Sinclair welcomed Campbell's commitment to pursue expanded Employment Insurance benefits for BC's hard-hit forestry workers, he noted Campbell refused to meet with the labour movement to discuss the issue earlier this year as thousands of forest workers were left without any insurance benefits. "BC's forest workers shouldn't have to wait for Campbell's platform to find support for EI reform," Sinclair says.

Sinclair also expressed disappointment the BC Liberal platform increased the Training Tax Credit for employers but, despite tuition fees increases, provided no additional resources for apprentices, and no real income support for laid-off forest workers seeking retraining.

Sinclair also noted the new Training Tax Credit program reverses direction set by then Finance Minister Carole Taylor to back end load this Tax Credit to encourage completion. "This is now a business subsidy not a training incentive."

The Federation also expressed disappointment at the BC Liberals' refusal to review labour laws, particularly health and safety regulations and employment standards for farmworkers.

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For more information: Evan Stewart, Director of Communications (604) 430-1421.