Immigrants: Low Pay & Labour Rights Explored - Essay Sample

Introduction

An immigrant is a person who goes to a foreign country, and he or she lives there forever. People migrate for various reasons, and when they go to other countries, they face some challenges, such as labor rights. This paper is about the labor rights of immigrants.

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Question One

Various factors contribute to low pays of the immigrants since most of them are unsure about their Labour rights. Some workers are asked to deposit a certain amount of money to start working; for instance, in this particular case, Sue Zheng was asked to collect $400 to get a job in a manicure salon in Canada. The workers are exploited in their working areas, and they become incredibly exhausted since they work more hours in a day without resting, and they are only paid poorly. Zheng explains how she was exploited for being paid $25 only in a day, which is not equal to the work that she was doing, and she wondered whether the English people had any information concerning the workers' rights (Choudry & Thomas, 2013). According to the research conducted, the low payments among the workers are frequent since most of them work in poor conditions for an extended period without considering their Labour rights as the immigrants. Another factor that contributes to low pay to the workers is the failure of the workers to raise their voice concerning their rights; most of them end up agreeing on everything that is said by the employers. This is clearly illustrated by the survey conducted by the Chinese Interagency Network, which shows how immigrant workers are abused and exploited. Accepting low or illegal payments is a significant factor that contributes to reduced amounts.

Most workers do not have enough knowledge of the employment standards; thus, they are given minimum wages according to the survey conducted in 119 respondent's interviews. The interviews were unable to answer half of the questions provided, meaning most of them were not aware of overtime and holiday payments. Newcomers in Canada are, in most cases, not familiar with the wages they are supposed to receive, and most of them are profoundly affected by the language barriers leading to low payments (Choudry & Thomas, 2013). Precarious employment is a great contributor to low pay to the workers since getting full-time work is not easy. This precarious employment comprises of a part-time job, the temporary contract which have no benefits to the workers. In Hamilton and Greater Toronto consist half of the workers belonging to the precarious employment. This is according to the information gathered and analyzed by the University Way Study and McMaster University. Permanent and full-time jobs have reduced with time, and thus creates a threat to the economy hindering it from any prosperity.

Question Two

According to my view, the four perspectives used in explaining the story can be viewed through a particular lens concerning the immigrants who are unsure about their Labour rights. If most of the immigrants were aware of their working rights, they would reduce the instances of low or illegal pay. For example, Zheng, an immigrant from China, would not have been abused if she knew her rights in her employment area. Her high expectation of getting a job resulted in her exploitation by being asked to pay a lot of money, for which she was later employed for low payments (Choudry & Smith, 2016). She also worked for many hours in a day, which made her exhausted. All the immigrants' workers should ensure that they are aware of the employment wages before they start working to avoid being exploited and abused by their boss. Workers should ensure that they are aware of their Labour rights to avoid colliding with employers later in work. The workers should prevent the failure of observing Labour rights since the survey conducted shows that it is shared among the workers. Employment standard act is an important sector to observe as an employee to understand the overtime wages and holiday wages. Workers should consider all the employments rights and challenge their employers whenever they feel that they are not satisfied with the working conditions. Understanding the employment standards act helps them to know the minimum charges for a job; hence, they have an opportunity to choose.

All the newcomers, especially those in Canada, tend to face the language barrier; therefore, they should ensure that they understand the language before going to look for work or look for a genuine interpreter to help them understand their rights in their working areas. If the immigrants did not fill low-skilled jobs, they would not receive low wages. Most of these workers should also avoid looking for jobs for the survival aspect only since this leads them to take any available responsibility without considering whether the job is worth taking the risk (Walia, 2010). Most studies show that most workers prefer multiple positions to achieve full time working hours. The Canadian Federal government is working hard to reduce the abuses found in businesses. The government is trying to control the hiring of temporary employees, which in most cases suffer the problem of low wages and advises the company to higher the permanent workers first. Labour organizations, businesses, community groups, and governments are required to address issues on how to reduce any adverse effects that affect a Labour market.

Question Three

Several ways can be conducted in improving the workers working conditions. Employers should observe Labour rights to create a pleasant working environment for the workers. The employers should be considerate and avoid abusing the employees' rights by paying them well, including all the working hours such as overtime and during the holidays. The immigrants should be educated on the language for effective communication to avoid any language barrier that may mislead the worker. The government should consider the increase of permanent job opportunities that fit the workers and work towards reducing the temporary jobs, which in most are paid poorly (Khan, 2009). The working conditions for these workers can be improved by ensuring that workers receive their wages fairy. Workers should be given opportunities to express their feeling concerning the business and not being forced. No employer should ask an employee to deposit money to acquire a job. Asking for cash contribute poor working conditions to the workers since they later receive low payments. Precarious employment should be highly discouraged since they make the workers work in small paying jobs for survival purposes only. Companies should create a better place for workers by ensuring that they hire workers for a full-time job, which has consisted of reasonable payments. Employers should ensure that workers are aware of the employment standard act.

References

Choudry, A., & Smith, A. (Eds.). (2016). Unfree Labour?: Struggles of Migrant and immigrant workers in Canada. PM Press.

Choudry, A., & Thomas, M. (2013). Labour struggles for workplace justice: Migrant and immigrant worker organizing in Canada. Journal of Industrial Relations, 55(2), 212-226. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022185612473215

Khan, S. A. (2009). From the labor of love to decent work: Protecting the human rights of migrant caregivers in Canada. Canadian Journal of Law & Society/La Revue Canadienne Droit et Societe, 24(1), 23-45. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-journal-of-law-and-society-la-revue-canadienne-droit-et-societe/article/from-labour-of-love-to-decent-work-protecting-the-human-rights-of-migrant-caregivers-in-canada/806EC6F47609F0B54A9A97E44E49A8A4

Walia, H. (2010). Transient servitude: Migrant labor in Canada and the apartheid of citizenship. Race & Class, 52(1), 71-84. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0306396810371766