Comment 32136

By grassroots are the way forward (registered) | Posted June 26, 2009 at 13:49:20

Where are all these great jobs up there? Most of the work today is contracted out to the temp companies, where the worker is lucky to make $10.00 per hour, no benefits, pensions, forget that, and no real protection under the law.

Yes, how is this lifting those that struggle in poverty. What I do not understand is how the city itself lists temp agenices as viable places to get work, meanwhile, the rights of workers, especially those making the transition from social assistance are ignored. How many workers have been denied stat holiday pay or even overtime, how about the lack of protection under Occupational Health and Safety or even Employment Standards. How about these transportation costs they are charging, sometimes up to twenty dollars a day?

The bureaucracy they have created to help those find work does little to ensure your rights. And given the recent posting for an employer councillor for the city for those on Ontario Works, I find it very unjust, that we have people making in excess of $35.00 per hour, have benefits and pensions, to shuffle pieces of paper and are forcing people into either very precarious work or volunteer positions, which does nothing to lift them from poverty or to add to the betterment of our community as a whole. The rule of Ontario Works, one must attend all the workshops assigned to them, otherwise they are cut off, yet we have one these employment councillors, a big wig, assigning this person to 2 workshops at the same time, I wonder will my member be cut off because of the ineptness of a city worker? One cannot be at two places at the same time.

Word on the streets about the situations growing at the foodbanks has not been reported accurately in our papers. One gets the sense that soon, security will be in place. This is just not affecting those on social assistance but also those families on EI benefits. Many are being denied access to food and the deception or inaccuracy by the corporate media is astounding.

As a fellow member of one the groups in an involved with, who was just awarded for their work in the community, went to a local foodbank, where they have now put in place MEANS testing. This person was called a liar when they reported the illiteracy rate in Hamilton and that many could not even read or understand their forms. They brought in one bill that the corporation bills quarterly, yet we have staff at a local foodbank demanding a monthly bill, when there is not one to be had. This person, even though they have worked hard, have been recognized for their work, was treated like dirt by a institution that claims they are helping people, when the truth of the situation is far from the public relations blast that is currently going on.

Very sad indeed.

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