workingwomenworkingpoor_letter_web

• The growing homecare sector is the new job ghetto for women workers, in particularracialized and immigrant women. There is a strong need for government, employersand unions to develop a sectoral strategy and standard to end some of the exploitationand enable some stability in the employment for the escalating number of PSWs in thissector. The recommendations put forth by SEIU listed in Section 5.6 if implemented,will first and foremost, improve the quality of care for seniors and other service users.• There is an urgent need for government, labour and employers to develop a proactivestrategy to ensure women workers can transition from temp work arrangement topermanent status within the same workplace. The current practices which can be arbitraryand discriminatory, have effectively kept women in job ghetto with low pay and insurejob prospect. A more equitable access to secure employment can be an issue that theWomen’s Directorate, Citizenship and the Ontario Human Rights Commission to jointlywork on.• Two or multiple tiered wage system is being forced on workers in both the public andprivate sectors. Unions should continue to resist this effort that penalizes younger workersand create a divided workforce and solidarity.• Pay equity remains a significant issue for women. Unions and communities need to continueto be vigilant to ensure that all women are paid a fair wage.Strengthening social infrastructure• Community and Labour should renew the call for a national publicly funded childcaresystem that is affordable, universal and accessible to working women. Both Federal andOntario governments should consider the feasibility and adaptability of the Quebec modelfor implementation in Ontario.• Public services such as accessible and affordable transit, health care, library services, andcommunity and recreation centres are critical support services that keep women workersjuggling between work and family responsibilities with some reprieve and grace. In essence,public services in the community are women’s services. Unions and broader communitypartners must continue to resist the privatization of public services, contracting out andthe reduction of staff which leads to the reduction of services that women depend on.38 WORKING WOMEN, WORKING POOR