Progressive Politics and Immigrant Workers

labour movement in Canada: If the labour movement in Canada is to remain relevant and keep its ability to push progressive politics it needs to take organizing and supporting immigrant workers much more seriously, according to Rabble. A recent report entitled Sweet and Sour that surveyed the experiences of nearly 200 Chinese immigrant restaurant workers in the GTA area serves as a disturbing illustration of the continued disconnect between immigrant workers and legally mandated labour standards. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. Of those surveyed some statistics are worth repeating: 43 per cent were paid less than minimum wage, 52 per cent did not receive overtime pay, 61 per cent did not receive public holiday pay and more than 20 per cent of respondents were owed wages. No, exploitation is not "cultural" Those who suggest that it is "cultural" reasons that explain the exploitive working conditions faced by immigrant workers largely ignore the fact that it is systemic economic and political conditions working in combination that explain why immigrant workers are channeled into oversaturated and destructively competitive ethnic enclaves and the associated highly exploitive working conditions they spawn. These statistics indicate the extreme conditions of exploitation faced by immigrant workers in this community and this sector, but those of us with understanding of immigrant communities know that highly exploitive working conditions such as these do not stand alone, rather they are in fact widespread and pervasive across sectors and throughout our communities. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.