Not A Pretty Picture.

Our good friends at the Toronto Star ran an article in their Sept.9 edition which focused on the "benefits" of working for temp. employment agencies, most of which was an exposure of Toronto's Fiera Foods bakery. It made clear that for many of the working class wages and working conditions haven't improved much since the industrial revolution, especially since Fiera aren't the only ferocious exploiters around. 

Since the article is two and a half pages long I would recommend, dear reader, to check it out, on page one, the star.com. There is though one aspect I want to draw your attention to, that of the problems of compensation for injuries on the job. The company doesn't pay up because they say the worker is employed by the agency. Over the last ten years, the injury rate for temps who work with machinery has been double the rate of permanent workers who do. Though exact figures are not available, many temps who are injured do not make claims for fear of losing their jobs. There it is folks, not a pretty picture, but please read the Stars expose.

George owns a coffee stall at the mall across the street from my building. He told me he had worked for ten years in kitchens for low pay, no benefits or holidays. Whenever he asked a boss if he could have a two week holiday the answer was all the same and needs no translation,"Sure you can but I cant promise you'll have a job to come back too". So George never took one. Wanting to be his own boss George opened the coffee stall. Now he works twelve hours a day, six days a week and doesn't take a holiday because he needs the sales to make the business pay. 

That's life under capitalism for most of us, every which way your screwed

For socialism, 

Steve, Mehmet, John & all contributing members of the SPC.