Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 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 "They have been replaced by temporary foreign workers earning just $2 an hour."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

    Man Accused In Toronto Office Stabbing Rampage Found Not Criminally Responsible

    Man Accused In Toronto Office Stabbing Rampage Found Not Criminally Responsible
    An Ontario judge said his decision in Chuang Li's case was "an extremely close call," but he ultimately found the 49-year-old not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

    Man Accused In Toronto Office Stabbing Rampage Found Not Criminally Responsible

    B.C. Teen Nicholas Hannon's Death Leads To First-Degree Murder Charges Against Three Friends

    B.C. Teen Nicholas Hannon's Death Leads To First-Degree Murder Charges Against Three Friends
    First-degree murder charges have been laid against three young men, more than 18 months after the disappearance of their friend.

    B.C. Teen Nicholas Hannon's Death Leads To First-Degree Murder Charges Against Three Friends

    Victoria-Area Inmate Walks Out Of Jail Following Accidental Release from Custody

    Victoria-Area Inmate Walks Out Of Jail Following Accidental Release from Custody
    A warrant has been issued for a 30-year-old inmate from the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre after he was accidentally released from custody.

    Victoria-Area Inmate Walks Out Of Jail Following Accidental Release from Custody

    Calgary Hunting Organization Decides To Move Zoo Fundraiser To New Venue

    Calgary Hunting Organization Decides To Move Zoo Fundraiser To New Venue
    CALGARY — An international hunting group has decided to move its fundraiser away from its scheduled venue at the Calgary Zoo.

    Calgary Hunting Organization Decides To Move Zoo Fundraiser To New Venue

    Coalition Talk Comes Up In Tight Race As Post-Labour Day Kicks Campaign Off

    Coalition Talk Comes Up In Tight Race As Post-Labour Day Kicks Campaign Off
    That raised the possibility of cross-party alliances, including the contentious coalition question, which also reared its head, as it did in last federal campaign.

    Coalition Talk Comes Up In Tight Race As Post-Labour Day Kicks Campaign Off

    Pakistani Man, 57, Sued For Molesting US Teenage Girl During Flight

    Pakistani Man, 57, Sued For Molesting US Teenage Girl During Flight
    Muhammad Asif Chaudhry, 57, was arrested after the July flight on charges including engaging in sexual contact with a victim between the ages of 12 and 16. 

    Pakistani Man, 57, Sued For Molesting US Teenage Girl During Flight