O Ministério do Trabalho de Ontário comemora as conquistas do trabalhador e reforça

O Jornal Milénio Stadium conversou com a Media Spokesperson do Ministério do Trabalho de Ontario, Janet Deline, para falar sobre as conquistas, desafios, trabalho ilegal e como se encontra o atual mercado de trabalho em Ontario, como um momento de reflexão e balanço nessa data comemorativa, que é o “Labour Day”.

Milénio Stadium: Labour Day is a date that recalls important issues such as the rights acquired by workers, but it is also a time for reflection on items that still need to be improved to give the worker more and better conditions. Do you believe there is room for improvement in this regard?

Janet Deline: Labour Day dates back to 1872, when the Toronto Typographical Union went on strike to fight for a nine-hour work day. Nearly 150 years ago, we would have been shocked by the appalling conditions workers faced that often left them unsafe. We’ve come a long way since: we have paid vacation time, public holidays, overtime pay, better health and safety laws.

There’s always room to improve when it comes to health and safety. Everyone deserves to get home safe after a good day’s work.

MS:  Do you believe workers have reasons to celebrate Labour Day?

JD: Labour Day should be a celebration on how far we’ve come in establishing protections for workers in Ontario. In addition, we should also celebrate that the economy is doing so well. Ontario has created 150,000 jobs since our government came to office. Hourly wages are up 3% since last year.

MS: In your point of view, how important are the labour rights protests?

JD: I support everyone’s right to protest and stand up for what they believe in. But in my first few weeks as Minister of Labour, I’m happy to say I’ve met with over 100 labour leaders. We agree on a lot of things: the value of hard work, the importance of good paying jobs and coming home safe. We had good conversations and I’m excited to work together where we have common ground.

MS: How to fight and support illegal workers at the same time?

JD: Well, we know that most businesses play by the rules and ensure that their workers are healthy and safe. My Ministry conducts roughly 1,500 inspections every week to ensure that workers are not being exploited and are safe. We also know there are bad actors and they must be held accountable. As Minister, I take health and safety very, very seriously. So know that if you have a history of non-compliance and infractions, there’s going to be an inspector knocking on your door.