Employmentweb_low

an historical perspective on labour MarKets
when the company has to meet a deadline, anywhere between 500 and 900 blocks may be laid by a single worker in a tenhour
shift. the lack of control over one's own work is a common feature in construction work. if materials did not arrive on
time, if the work in a site was finished ahead of schedule, or if co-workers did not show up, among many other reasons,
workers could go to work, wait for hours and not be paid at all for that day. all the "misfortunes" of the job are transferred
to the workers through absence of salary for the hours they were at the job but were not laying blocks. during the day, there
are 2 coffee breaks of 15 minutes each paid by the company but lunch time (30 minutes) is unpaid. the workload varies
considerably according to the seasons. twelve-hour shifts, 6 days a week in the summer are not unusual, but many days
without work due to rain or snow storms are also a reality in the spring or winter. this makes income fluctuate, especially
from december to april in canada. also related to the seasons is the fact that workers are out in the open during the whole
year with temperatures of up to 40 c in the summer, with plenty of sun exposure, as well as -30 c and cold burns during
winter months. some companies enforce a strict safety code and the ministry occasionally supervises sites, but in the
companies where João has worked, helmets were optional due to heat during the summer and scaffolds fell a few times,
though luckily no one was injured. every year, for the last three years, João has missed around 2 weeks of work due to back
pain. when this happens, he informs his supervisor he will stay at home until his back no longer hurts (he also takes overthe-
counter anti-inflammatory medication). apparently, this is a common issue for "blocklayers".
Managing an "illegal" life: the workers' lack of status is known by their employers and in several ways they benefit
from it (not declaring taxes, not offering a benefit plan, etc). on one occasion, João was not paid for a week of work and the
employer told him he would hand him over to immigration. another time, he was paid half of the agreed amount and again
was powerless to complain. when a colleague broke his leg, his co-workers used another worker’s health insurance card
to get him hospital care. some employers are known for taking responsibility for health care bills, while others may abandon
their employees. this is rarely a topic of discussion and the most skilled in the job try to work for "good bosses" in the hope
that they will be rescued in the case of a work accident. João has been in canada for 7 years now. he used all the money
he has saved to buy a lot and build a house for his mother and himself in brazil. he has tried to become a permanent
resident in canada, but the lack of a university degree makes him ineligible to apply as a skilled worker. paradoxically, the
same skills that kept him employed for several years are not considered sufficient to support an immigration application.
in summary, economic migrants without work status in canada are self-sufficient and financially responsible for
others, they experience income insecurity, fear, lack of political, health and educational rights, and face abuse,
discrimination, and social isolation. the construction sector is highly dependent on non-status migrants in canada. during
the last 7 years João has helped build several schools, two hospitals, the airport, and countless houses. thus, affordable
housing and services as well as a nouveau riche group in canadian society depend on the continuing exploitation of
economic migrants.
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