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Labour Minister Peter Fonseca agrees to looking into complaints of unfair treatment of summer employees.
Toronto (27 Aug. 2009) - Ontario summer students represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) took their message for fairness under provincial labour laws directly to Labour Minister Peter Fonseca at his annual summer barbeque.
The students showed up when the event was held last weekend, asking the minister one on one to "Help us get our money back!"
Approximately 3,400 summer students who work in provincial parks are protesting an abuse of labour laws by the Ontario government that is costing each of them $400 to $600 in unpaid vacation and holiday benefits.
OPSEU says the students received vacation and holiday pay in the past and were promised the same this year. However, the province is refusing to honour its commitments, citing as an excuse that "the Crown" is exempt from vacation and holiday pay provisions under the Employment Standards Act, which applies to all other employers in Ontario.
When confronted at his barbeque, the students said, Fonseca was receptive to their Fairness for Student Workers campaign, and agreed to look into the issue.
One of the students affected is Theepan Vasanthakvmar, an electrical engineering graduate from the University of Western Ontario.
“I graduated with an engineering degree and have been unable to find a job in my field. I did get a job for now at Ontario Place but I’m not even getting paid my holiday and vacation pay," says Vasanthakvmar, one of four students who met Fonseca at the event.
OPSEU board member Eddy Almeida joined the students and also engaged the minister on the issue. Almeida told Fonseca:
“I want the McGuinty government to do the right thing – pay the students what they promised. The Employment Standards Act should apply to all employees, including Crown employers,” he says. "The (government has) exempted themselves from the very rules they set for Ontario employers to follow. "
Students will continue to use creative means to lobby the province in the weeks ahead.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
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