Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Seafarers Union Expands Court Fight Over Temporary Foreign Workers Program

The Canadian Press, 16 Sep, 2015 01:21 PM
    OTTAWA — The union representing civilian sailors is expanding its legal fight over the temporary foreign workers program, naming two federal cabinet ministers in two additional lawsuits filed in the Federal Court.
     
    A week ago, the Seafarers International Union of Canada asked a judge in Vancouver to review the temporary worker permits granted to foreign sailors on international ships that operated in Canadian waters this summer.
     
    In its initial legal salvo, the union filed 16 applications for judicial reviews of the cases of individual sailors.
     
    The new cases, filed late Tuesday, single out Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney.
     
    The union says it has written to both ministers and has not received any response. It is targeting Immigration Canada because the policy on temporary foreign workers rests with that department.
     
    Canada Border Services Agency, which issues the permits, falls under Public Safety.
     
    The head of the union claims the Harper government continues to misuse its authority in granting temporary foreign work permits to crew members from other countries.
     
    "Qualified Canadian maritime workers have lost more than two thousand jobs," said Seafarers union president Jim Given, in a statement. "They have been replaced by temporary foreign workers earning just $2 an hour."
     
    Employment contracts for crew members on foreign tankers, obtained last week by The Canadian Press, show they are required to work a minimum of 48 hours a week before overtime kicks in, and that the rate varies between $2 and $8 per hour.
     
    By law, foreign-flagged ships can operate between ports in Canadian coastal water as long as they use domestic crews, but the union says the federal government has increasingly given shipping companies a free pass.
     
    Canada's controversial temporary foreign workers program was given a facelift earlier this year. The program mandates labour market assessments that demonstrate no Canadians were available to take the jobs.
     
    To get around the labour assessment, the government grants a waiver claiming, among others things, that there is significant economic benefit to Canada.
     
    The first round of court challenges involved the Cypriot-flagged tanker Sparto, which operated between Canadian ports on the East Coast in August. The latest filings are journeys taken by Greek tanker Amalthea, which transported oil on the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Atlantic Canada in August, and the New England, a chemical tanker that sailed in the Maritimes last week.
     
    The union estimates that roughly 4,000 temporary foreign work permits have been issued by the federal government for domestic shipping despite an unemployment rate of 25 per cent among Canadian maritime workers.
     
    Immigration Canada declined comment when the first court action was filed, and no one was immediately available to talk about the latest development.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Car-Truck Collision In Quebec Leaves 3 Dead

    Car-Truck Collision In Quebec Leaves 3 Dead
    Quebec Provincial Police say all three victims were in the car, which ended up beneath the truck due to the impact of the collision at about 8:30 p.m.

    Car-Truck Collision In Quebec Leaves 3 Dead

    Indo-Canadian Edmonton Lawyer Justin Sidhu Who Smuggled Drugs Into Prison, Gets 4 Years In Jail

    Indo-Canadian Edmonton Lawyer Justin Sidhu Who Smuggled Drugs Into Prison, Gets 4 Years In Jail
    Charged with delivering six grams of banned methamphetamine to an inmate at a remand centre, Justin Sidhu was convicted of drug trafficking in June this year

    Indo-Canadian Edmonton Lawyer Justin Sidhu Who Smuggled Drugs Into Prison, Gets 4 Years In Jail

    B.C. Coroner Identifies Boater, Hiker Who Died In Separate Incidents

    VANCOUVER — The BC Coroners Service has identified two men who died in separate incidents. Sixty-seven-year-old Steven Munro died in a boating accident.

    B.C. Coroner Identifies Boater, Hiker Who Died In Separate Incidents

    Calgary Bake Shop Customer Leaves Staff A Whopping $525 Tip, By Accident

    Calgary Bake Shop Customer Leaves Staff A Whopping $525 Tip, By Accident
    Workers at the Sidewalk Citizen didn't notice the generous gratuity until they were cashing out at the end of the day.

    Calgary Bake Shop Customer Leaves Staff A Whopping $525 Tip, By Accident

    Oops! Ontario Couple Accidentally Sells Treasured Wedding Video In Garage Sale For $3

    Oops! Ontario Couple Accidentally Sells Treasured Wedding Video In Garage Sale For $3
    Randy Ladouceur of Penetanguishene, about 150 kilometres north of Toronto, says the video was in a box with a few dozen other VHS tapes including "The Land Before Time" and other cartoons.

    Oops! Ontario Couple Accidentally Sells Treasured Wedding Video In Garage Sale For $3

    Eeeew! Calgary Cab Driver Assaulted With Bag Of Vomit

    Eeeew! Calgary Cab Driver Assaulted With Bag Of Vomit
    A 33-year-old woman has been charged with assault after a bag of vomit was hurled at a Calgary cab driver.

    Eeeew! Calgary Cab Driver Assaulted With Bag Of Vomit