Foreign workers shafted in coal mine deal
Posted October 31, 2012 4:11 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TUMBLER RIDGE (NEWS1130) – The federal government has launched an investigation into the use of foreign workers at a coal mine in northern BC. The move is being welcomed by the BC Federation of Labour, which says the temporary foreign worker program is being abused.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” says BC Fed President Jim Sinclair. “But frankly worried that it’s only the government investigating itself, and we’d prefer to have an independent review.”
Sinclair says the Temporary Foreign Worker program is being abused. The jobs being offered are not temporary in nature and there is an alterior motive in play.
“They (foreign workers) are being used to undercut wages and working conditions in Canada,” he says. “And employers are going to them as the first option, not the last option.”
Sinclair says the program used to allow workers to stay in Canada for a six month period, but the federal government increased the duration to four years. He wants all permits granted under the program to HD Mining to be suspended, and he wants the federal government to release all documents that were used to justify the granting of those permits.
The company in question operates a coal mine in Tumbler Ridge. Labour leaders complained after the company was granted permits allowing it to bring in more than 200 workers from China.
“Don’t forget, when it comes to Temporary Foreign Workers, they don’t have any of the basic rights that other Canadians do,” Sinclair adds. “They can’t quit their job and go down the street and get another job. They can’t complain about safety hazards without feeling threatened or sent home.”
HD Mining has insisted it could not find qualified Canadians to do the jobs that need to be done, but the BC Fed is not buying that. Sinclair says there are 20,000 miners across the country looking for work.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada will investigate whether the company’s permit applications met all of the necessary requirements.
