RBC Code of Conduct re Temporary Foreign Workers a Welcome Step: Steelworkers
TORONTO, May 24, 2013 /CNW/ - The United Steelworkers joins the B.C. Federation of Labour in welcoming the Royal Bank of Canada's (RBC) announcement of a Supplier Code of Conduct restricting the use of Temporary Foreign Workers and its commitment to creating Canadian jobs at the bank.
"Public pressure and solid campaigning by the labour movement on the corporate abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program has led RBC to make these changes to its supplier code," said Ken Neumann, USW National Director.
The RBC Code of Conduct is a step in the right direction, holding the bank and its suppliers to a commitment not to hire foreign workers to replace Canadians and not to outsource jobs in pursuit of lower wages.
"This action by RBC should be a strong message to all employers who exploit temporary foreign workers or try to use the program as a source of cheap labour," said Stephen Hunt, USW Western Canada Director. "Now it's time for our federal and provincial governments to abandon their low-wage strategy and require all corporations to follow suit. We will continue to press for meaningful reform."
The public was outraged to learn about the RBC whistleblower having his job outsourced to a supplier and then having to train his foreign-worker replacement.
The USW has been in forefront of battling the Harper government on the issue of temporary workers - helping to expose the HD Mining effort to bypass qualified Canadians miners in B.C., offering to assist RBC workers who were being displaced through the program and calling for a judicial review of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
The USW has launched a campaign to "give everyone a chance" - including Canadians and newly arrived workers from abroad: Give Everyone a Chance, For Canada's Future. The campaign advocates for economic development based on good wages, as opposed to the Harper Conservatives' low-wage economic model.
SOURCE: United Steelworkers (USW)
Ken Neumann, USW National Director for Canada, 416-544-5951
Stephen Hunt, USW Western Canada Director, 604-683-1117, 604-816-2554
Joe Drexler, USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-544-6009, 416-434 7907, [email protected]
Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, [email protected]
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