Canadian Labour Reporter

lABoUr BrieFs 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 AFL audit shows thousands of foreign workers brought in at minimum wage OTTAWA — An audit conduct- ed by the Alberta Federation of Labour has revealed thousands of employers were given the green light by the federal government to hire temporary foreign workers at minimum wage. Released on May 26, the AFL's audit compared numbers com- piled from Statistics Canada against applications for the Tem- porary Foreign Worker Program. The labour federation looked specifically at prevailing regional wages and weighted those rates against the approved wage rates from the approved applications of employers seeking to bring in for- eign workers. According to the AFL, the audit showed employers were routinely allowed to pay foreign workers minimum wage in industries and occupations that are supposed to pay higher rates. "One of the major fixes the Conservatives are suggesting to prevent the Temporary Foreign Worker Program from putting Canadians out of work is a wage floor for Temporary Foreign Workers," said Gil McGowan, president of the labour federa- tion. "The documents show that the Harper government has regularly allowed employers to pay below- market wages, in contravention of the existing rules and all their empty promises. Why should Ca- nadians believe them now?" Mc- Gowan added. Of the 15,006 employers who were approved to bring in foreign workers, more than 14,500 of- fered wages that were lower than what the government mandates should be paid, according to the audit. The wages were below the pre- vailing wage rate, ranging from a few cents to $11.45 an hour low- er than the expected number. The data turns on its head re- cent claims by the federal gov- ernment that there exists serious labour shortages and a lack of skilled Canadians to fill such po- sitions. The government also has the power to deny work permits if an employer intends to offer a for- eign worker less than the prevail- ing wage rate. Toronto- based Chinese newspaper staff reach new deal TORONTO — About 130 staff at Ming Pao Daily, a Chinese news- paper headquartered in Toronto, have signed a new collective agreement. On May 25, editorial, advertis- ing, production and administra- tive staff represented by Unifor Local 87-M signed a two-year contract. As part of the agreement, em- ployees will be getting cost of liv- ing wage raises, better severance pay, improvements for part-time employees and no concessions. This, the second agreement at Ming Pao, was reached at the initial stages of negotiations at the bargaining table — a victory for both parties, as the first col- lective agreement was reached last year only after an eight-week strike and the intervention of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, which imposed a contract on the union. "The company brought a very professional attitude to the bar- gaining table, and we reached an agreement that is fair to both the staff and the company," said Wes- ley Chua, copy editor at the paper and union spokesperson. Buses sit idle in Sao Paulo, Brazil at the end of May after drivers walked off the job, leaving hundreds of thousands stranded less than a month before the largest city in South America hosts the FIFA World Cup. FORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by omson Reuters Canada Ltd. Subscription rate: $595 per year Customer Service Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5106 Email: carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Website: www.carswell.com Director, Carswell Media Karen Lorimer Publisher John Hobel Managing Editor Todd Humber News Editor Sabrina Nanji | (416) 649-9348 sabrina.nanji@thomsonreuters.com News Editor Liz Foster | (416) 298-5129 liz.foster@thomsonreuters.com Marketing Co-ordinator Travis Chan | (416) 609-5872 travis.chan@thomsonreuters.com © 2014 Carswell, a division of omson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. e publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice. If legal or other expert assistanceis required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. e analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either offi cial or unoffi cial policy of any governmental body. ISSN 0045-5113 Publications Registration 2089 Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications. Visit www.hrreporter.com for more information. Labour Reporter Canadian www.labourreporter.com Photo: Chico Ferreira (Reuters) LABOUR LENS

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