Document Details

2013-03-15

Friend --

You are invited -

Ministry of Labour, Community Consultation on Health & Safety

At the February 15th meeting of the Common Front Steering Committee it was reported that we have a unique consultation opportunity to meet with the Ministry of Labour (MOL) regarding our issues and recommendations as they develop an Integrated Health and Safety strategy for the Province of Ontario. This is important for us because one of the Ministry’s priorities is to focus on vulnerable workers and precarious work.

As we know too well, many of our Common Front partners represent workers in this category of vulnerable workers and/or workers doing precarious work. A few examples of who could be considered a vulnerable worker or performing precarious work could be:

young workers;
immigrants;
Aboriginal peoples;
older workers;
those new to their jobs or working for new businesses;
temporary foreign and seasonal workers;
workers holding multiple part-time, low-paying jobs;
workers involved in temporary employment;
workers holding multiple part-time, low-paying jobs;
workers involved in temporary employment;
women;
older/senior workers; or
injured or disabled workers.
A number of factors contribute to worker vulnerability, including:

individuals not knowing their rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act;
a lack of job or hazard-specific experience or training;
the fear of reprisal, including job-loss, for exercising their rights or raising occupational health and safety concerns;
the threat of deportation;
English not being first language;
workers being forced to work in the underground economy i.e. no records being “paid cash”;
workers being asked to do work they cannot physically or psychologically do because of a disability or injury; and
‘sweat shop’ model or mentality.
We have asked the Ministry of Labour for a separate consultation session specifically with our Common Front Partners and they have agreed. This session will take place:

Wednesday April 17, 2013

10:00 am – 2:00 pm

OFL Building - 15 Gervais Drive, in the 8th Fl Boardroom

Soon you will receive from us three more documents relating to the consultation - none of these have been received by us yet:

1. A letter of invitation from the MOL;

2. Consultation Discussion Paper from the MOL;

3. Power point deck the MOL will be presenting to us before discussions.

We ask that you respond back to us by March 28th whether or not you or your organization would like to participate in this consultation session, as we want to inform the MOL. Space will be limited so please send your RSVP early to Paulette Hazel (phazel@ofl.ca).

We expect they will present us with a power point presentation and then the discussion/consultation will begin - we urge you to not only to make verbal submissions but also written ones. When the MOL Consultation Paper is released there will be specific issues they will want direction on as well as our experiences and recommendations.

We are encouraging you to participate as too often the voices and issues of vulnerable workers are not heard and this is an opportunity to get on-record.

We look forward to hearing back from you.

In solidarity,

Nancy Hutchison

OFL Secretary-Treasurer / Ontario Common Front Chair

Antoni Shelton

OFL Director of Government Relations /

Ontario Common Front Organizer

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The Ontario Common Front · 15 Gervais Dr, Ste. 202, Toronto, ON M3C 1Y8, Canada

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General relevance - all sectors

Unions and NGOs/community groups/solidarity networks

Ontario

English