Exploitation of Temp Workers

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Exploitation of Temp Workers

• By Tequila Cheese

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Tempin Lyrics

• Ooh yeah! All right!
• Were tempin
• I wanna make money wit you.
• Were tempin tempin
• I know its not much but thats what we do.
•  
• Aint no choice, Aint no money, aint even got
  no voice,
• But well see it through.
• Cos everyday we pay the price with our little
  sacrifice,
• Tempin till the job is through.
•  
• Were tempin
• To think that tempins growing fast.
• Were tempin
• And we think that this is gonna last.
•  
• Were tempin (tempin, tempin tempin)
• And were tempin in the name of the lord.
• Were tempin (tempin, tempin tempin)

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Temporary Work

• Any position, any job
• Whenever a company needs you
• Examples
• Secretary
• Assistant
• Data miner
• Telemarketer
• Physical labour
• Possible permanent position at the end of temp
  work

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Why Hire Temp Workers?

• Low wages
• Make less than non-temporary
• counterparts
• Little responsibility
• Temp agency has most
• responsibility
• Fluid workplace
• Employer saves money
• Non-unionized
• Unions show hostility

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Temp Agencies

• Initial screening process (from 2 days to 2
  weeks)
• Sign up
• Interview process
• Background checks
• Skills assessments
• Call agency every morning you need a job agency
  will set you up with appropriate work
• First-come, first-served basis

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Advantages of Temp Work

• Flexibility
• Experience
• Chance to meet new people
• Chance to learn new skills

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Disadvantages of Temp Work

• Jobs are not secure
• Jobs are limited in duration
• Low pay
• 40 less per hour than permanent employees
• Little to no benefits
• Even after lengthy employment
• Incomplete training
• Lack of skill development
• Few safety or health training

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Disadvantages contd

• Unable to unionize
• No effective right to collective bargaining
• National Labour Relations Act makes unionization
  extraordinarily difficult and usually impossible
• Generally barred from joining the union
  representing regular workers
• Poor working conditions
• Non-standard employment arrangements between
  company and temp agency
• Ex. Construction sites temps given more
  dangerous jobs

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Disadvantages contd

• Little to no respect
• Outsiders
• Not part of the group
• Few social relationships with boss or employees
• Animosity from permanent workers
• Fear of reporting workplace issues
• Little chance of being hired permanently
• Discrimination

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(No Transcript)
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Effects on Businesses

• Companies relying more and more on temporary
  workers to replace permanent workers
• Reduced labour costs
• Saving money by not having to pay for benefits

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Employment Standards

• Workers have most of the same rights as permanent
  workers, but some changes to rights based on
  length of employment
• Work covered under certain rights acts but not
  others
• Ex. Covered by OHSA but not EEA
• Rights of both employer and employee vary by the
  province in which the work is performed

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Personal Accounts

• I worked as a temp for years, and in my long
  experience its the temping agencies themselves
  that lie very firmly at the root of the problem.
  I dont say this out of a case of sour grapes, as
  Ive also worked permanently in the office of a
  temping agency and witnessed firsthand, from the
  inside, the culture that prevails. In the main,
  temping agencies and their parent chains care
  only about profits, sale targets, bonuses and
  that their clients pay on time. The temps
  themselves are just human units to be shifted
  around and jammed into whatever job is available,
  regardless of suitability
• Anonymous

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Personal Accounts contd

• If you want the rights of a permanent worker, get
  a permanent job! The whole point of temps is to
  cover a temporary labour shortage or a production
  increase. Once this reduces, employers are left
  with staff they do not need and in most cases,
  cannot afford to pay. If temps are given the same
  rights as standard employees then temps will
  simply not be employed anymore leaving the
  permanent workforce to cover the shortfall.
  Someone will lose in this argument, and the temp
  worker knows the score when they sign up to the
  agency so why should it be the long serving loyal
  employee? I do agree, however, that is a temp has
  been employed for say 6 months by the same
  client, they should be given more rights than a
  standard temp who is only there to cover a weeks
  holiday
• Anonymous

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Themes

• Post-Fordism
• Cutting down labour costs and increasing
  efficiency
• Resistance
• Difficult to unionize because of high turnover
  rate of workers and fear of workers voicing
  complaints
• Globalization
• Jobs are working to foreign locations, companies
  are forced to hire cheaper workers
• Secondary Labour Market
• High turnover rate, increased number of
  applicants because of job loss

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References

• http//jobsearch.about.com
• http//www.tempforce.com
• http//www.letstemp.co.uk
• www.salary.com/careers/
• http//www.settlement.org