Tibetan Fresh Taste workers strike for equal pay at the Ontario Food Terminal on April 9, 2016.

Tibetan Fresh Taste workers strike for equal pay at the Ontario Food Terminal on April 9, 2016.
Photo Credit: Joel Duff/Ontario Federation of Labour

Union laments exploitation of Asian workers

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada and the Ontario Federation of Labour is using the occasion to raise awareness about economic and social barriers faces by those of Asian and South Asian descent.

Chinese restaurant workers in Toronto face “widespread and persistent” workplace abuse, according to a legal clinic. They are often paid below minimum wage, with no overtime or vacation pay, says the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic.

The Canadian government poster invites celebration of Asian Heritage Month. An Ontario union says one good way to do that is to end workplace abuse.
The Canadian government poster invites celebration of Asian Heritage Month. An Ontario union says one good way to do that is to end workplace abuse. © Government of Canada

Workplace abuse called ‘all too common’

A group of Tibetan produce pickers have fought for five months to get a contract that would make their wages equal to their counterparts at the Ontario Food Terminal, says the Ontario Federation of Labour. It adds these examples are all too common.

The union calls for a broad improvement to employment standards, a minimum hourly wage of $15 and easier ways for workers to join a union. This comes at a time when the government of the province of Ontario is reviewing its labour laws.

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