Outdated' EI traps temp workers
Workers plan rally today to push government to ease benefit rules
Noor Javed
STAFF REPORTER
Star.com
Jun 13, 2009 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (20)
Alfred built sofa frames for 10 years at a factory in Toronto. He paid his bills, contributed to the government's employment insurance scheme, and began to save for the future. Then he lost his job.
Now he waits by the phone from 6 a.m. every morning, to see if one of five temporary employment agencies he signed up with will call to offer him a few hours of work.
The weeks that he doesn't work, he gets $165 a week in EI. He puts the rest of his $790-a-month rent on his credit card.
“I can't sleep any more,” said Alfred, who did not want to use his full name for fear temp agencies will stop calling. “This is not a way to live,” he said, his eyes red with exhaustion.
Alfred is among a growing number of workers in the GTA caught in the cycle of precarious work, trying to make a living doing part-time, contract, temporary and self-employed work. They have struggled to find stable jobs in good economic times and now, in a recession, are barely scraping by. As they turn to EI for help, there is growing realization that the system, set up in postwar Canada, is out of sync with the new reality of unstable employment.
“The current system is outdated,” said Deena Ladd, a caseworker with the Workers' Action Centre. “It hasn't kept up with the changing labour market.”
More than 40 per cent of people in Toronto are employed in precarious work. Most are newcomers, women and visible minorities. But across all sectors nursing, technology, basic office jobs work is shifting from the traditional model to a temporary one, said Wayne Lewchuk, a labour studies professor at McMaster University.
“As full-time jobs end, they are being replaced by temporary contracts,” said Lewchuk, who has been studying the job shift for years. “It is also younger people, and also people with a higher level of education who are being forced to enter the labour market this way.”
Despite the recent national and provincial focus on employment insurance, little attention has been paid to how those in unstable jobs are faring under the system. Concern is growing among advocates and academics that even proposed changes to EI won't be enough.
Workers are expected to rally today at Metro Hall to keep pressure on the government to reduce the qualifying hours to 360 hours across the country, and calculate pay based on the best 12 weeks worked during the previous six months.
Workers in Toronto need 595 hours of work in the previous 26 weeks to qualify for EI. First-time applicants need 910 hours roughly six months of full-time work.
This week, a private member's bill urging changes to EI passed second reading in the House of Commons. But there is little indication it will be given third reading before the summer break. The Harper government has promised more improvements to EI in the fall.
Nadira Gopalani, a caseworker who has helped dozens of workers access EI through the Workers' Action Centre, says the changes can't come soon enough. “We are getting calls where people are on the edge of a crisis.”
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Comments :
Who is to blame ?
Previous fixes to EI were done by Liberals(Chretien & Paul Martin) and welfare by Harris and the scenarios in the article were predicted then. So what is surprising now ? And who is going to “fix” the previous fix – Tory's and Liberals ? And we still have the culture of entitlement as with the eHealth fiasco. It's a wonder people are not out in the streets like in Iran !!
Submitted by ezygoer3 at 7:52 PM Monday, June 15 2009
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Do not dig
to deep into who owns the temp slave camps, you will find a surprising answer. As to employment insurance, you can thank your liberal friends for that mess.
Submitted by libra91 at 6:38 PM Sunday, June 14 2009
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Why are we in this mess and we can't get out of it?
EI inequities among provinces is only a minor issue compared with the amount of EI payment ($165.00 a week can barely survive). The story did not say why Alfred paid $790.00 a month for rent and clearly Alfred was making around $300.00 a week when he was employed before. Even extending 5 weeks of EI would not help at all. The people who suffers most are immigrants, women and elderly and they have little voices for them. This recession has not waken up the Government to establish a national policy for heavy manufacturing industries as well as light industries, job re-training and the most important is 'CENTRAL CLEARING HOUSE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED TO FIND JOBS'. We are doomed because we have too many unemplyed, under-employed. part-timers, chronic unemployed, contract and temporary workers. Why the rent in Toronto is so high and inflation is skyrocketed and gas price is going back up to $1.30 ! We will reduce to a second class country for most of us except the wealthy !
Submitted by kanyuek at 10:43 AM Sunday, June 14 2009
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Change EI
Ridiculous comments telling people to move – move where – the country – the world is in a economic disaster. It costs alot of money to relocate a family into another province and if you can't make your rent – it leaves you between a rock and a hard place. We have to work together as a nation to survive and Harper is not the leader to accomplish this – have compassion for your neighbours – tomorrow it could be you or your loved ones.
Submitted by mikjager at 9:24 AM Sunday, June 14 2009
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Why would I stay? Part 2
The people beside me had terrific yelling matches with great big voices and plenty of cognac. Anyhow, that was 6 years ago – they're all gone and I'm still here, but not for long.
Submitted by houser at 12:54 AM Sunday, June 14 2009
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Why would I stay? Part 1
Because one's options become severely limited when one is unable to work (i.e. totally disabled). The building had been built in the early 50's and had wooden flooring so that anything going on above would seem like it was right in my apartment with me. It was substandard, although the landlord charged top dollar 'cos they could get it. After paying market rent for over a year, I mysteriously was granted a subsidized unit. (Landlord wanted to rent out my first apt. for more money after I fought to have it fixed up. After it was fixed up, a subsidized unit became available in 2001). From there I applied to TCHC for a medical transfer into a high-rise at High Park. Once there, the people above would let their dogs pee on the balcony. It would run down onto mine, and my balcony had an old carpet. It was June/July and it stank.
Submitted by houser at 12:54 AM Sunday, June 14 2009
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why doesn't this alfred guy apply for a job at e*health
325.00 an hour and all the muffins you can eat
Submitted by gonzo at 5:43 PM Saturday, June 13 2009
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We live in a casino society
traders (traitors) & flippers make money. Government jobs do well. If you work & produce something, you get the shaft & if possible your job will be exported for higher profits. Wake up, take to the streets, take the country back before it's too late.
Submitted by biker650 at 5:37 PM Saturday, June 13 2009
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Houser: Why would you stay?
I don't understand people's aversion to relocating in order to better their life. If you can't find work where you are with your current skill set, you have two options: 1/ Upgrade your skills 2/ Move to a place that requires the skills that you have. Over my working life, I have done both and have a better life because of the choices that I made. EI is a short term stop gap to get you through a temporary break in work. It wasn't designed to subsidize people's income in the long term.
Submitted by Expat in the USA at 5:37 PM Saturday, June 13 2009
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the first ones against the wall
the sycophant upper-class just love to talk about the poor abusing EI,while begging for bailout money for their failed investments and dispense advice like Marie Antoinette- however, remember when the injustice accumulates you will have to deal with the consequence.
Submitted by Laz at 2:15 PM Saturday, June 13 2009
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Maternity leave and EI
A friend of mine took maternity to care for her new born baby last year. She returned to work this March. her company closed the door at the beginning of April. having only worked three weeks after returning from her maternity leave, she does not qualify for EI. So beware of this if you are planning to take a mat leave in this trouble time.
Submitted by grasshopper_on at 1:44 PM Saturday, June 13 2009
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@ Ramos2009
Where do I apply? I want a job, I'm willing to travel to get that work, and even a dishwashing job pays wages. Even at minimum wage, if I can get 30hrs a week I'll make enough to pay my bills.
Submitted by CaptainHook at 1:39 PM Saturday, June 13 2009
