by Michael Red – BASICS #17 (Jan/Feb 2010)
You don’t have to look far to find workers toiling under “sweatshop” conditions. Lincare Ltd. is a commercial laundry in Scarborough that holds contracts with many high-end hotels in the GTA, including Best Western, Novotel, and the Fairmount Royal York. It is a highly profitable corporation that has been in business for 13 years. It is also a place where many workers are paid below minimum wage, sometimes not paid at all, and conditions are extremely unsafe. Emergency shut-off buttons on the machines are inoperable, there are no safety guards, and workers have been pulled into the machines causing serious injuries.
Lincare Ltd. is owned and operated by the Sellarajah family and employs mostly Sri Lankan Tamil workers. Having fled an environment of war and poverty, these men and women have landed in a workplace that is extremely oppressive. They have demanded that the Ministry of Labour investigate the unsafe working conditions and unpaid wages. On a handful of occasions, Ministry inspectors have entered Lincare, spoke exclusively with the owners, and taken no action. Seeing the government purposely fail to enforce the labour rights they are entitled to, the workers then contacted UFCW Canada to commence an organizing campaign.
Soon after the first union cards were signed, the company fired six of the inside organizers. Management began threatening the workforce with more terminations and plant closure. However, the intimidation tactics merely emboldened the workers to fight back. On November 16, UFCW Canada filed an application for certification at the Labour Board and the countdown began towards the certification vote. The owners placed two thugs in and around the laundry, hurling abuse and physical threats at the workers, targeting women in particular. The workers and the terminated organizers rallied outside the plant every day, with numerous unions coming to support them. UFCW Canada filed charges against the company. OMNI TV did a news story on the campaign and chronicled the workers’ grievances. Finally, on November 23 the workers voted in favour of the union by more than 70 per cent.
The victory at Lincare was the culmination of an unprecedented level of militancy among the workers, solidarity across the labour movement, and community organizing in the Scarborough Tamil community. Now the hard work begins. Out of a workforce of 100 people, a total of 19 union supporters have now been fired. Wages have been cut since the vote and management threats continue. The union has filed more charges and the workers are demanding the Labour Board reinstate the terminated people immediately. It is clear that a movement of workers, unions, and community groups must pressure the company to recognize the union and start negotiating a collective agreement with the workers. BASICS readers can contact brother Enver Harbans, UFCW Canada organizer and BASICS member, to lend their support.
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