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Op-ed: A safe space for Black workers

Organizers at a clinic for Black workers rights

For most people living in, and migrating to this province, work is a central concern in our lives.
Our jobs dictate how and where we live. They impact the quality of our lives and health. They
can determine how we age, and sometimes even how we die. Work is what most of us have in
common. We spend many of our waking hours at work or thinking about work; sometimes it
even creeps into our sleep. And, as Black workers, we have a complicated relationship to work
that dates back to the forced labour of enslaved African people.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020 and workers were adjusting to shocking layoffs,
terminations, or unsafe work, we began to get calls and questions from Black workers. We
heard from those who worked under the table and found themselves with no income or supports
overnight. We heard from migrant workers who were told by their employers that they were not
permitted to leave their bunkhouses at any time, even though forcible confinement was never a
part of the COVID response in this country and no other members in the same communities
were expected to abide by that arbitrary rule. We heard from sick and injured workers,
overwhelmed and overworked workers, people who were sick with COVID and other illnesses
who did not qualify for the temporary COVID protections afforded to others.
These stories confirmed what some of us had learned earlier in the pandemic: when we set up a
vaccine clinic at the Jamaican Canadian Centre to increase vaccinations in the Black
community, we saw that Black workers are at the core of the most essential sectors of the
economy and that racism continues to be an additional factor when Black workers seek crucial
supports.
On Saturday, May 14, 2022, we hosted a Workers’ Rights Clinic that offers a free and safe
space meant to support Black workers to build their labour knowledge and their relationships
with worker advocates. Our sponsoring organizations bring expertise and years of experience in
organizing and advocacy. They include by the Jamaican Canadian Association, Toronto and
York Region Labour Council, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) – Ontario Region, Black
Legal Action Centre, Justicia for Migrant Workers, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists,
Mayworks Festival, Toronto Community Benefits Network, Caribbean African Canadian Social
Services, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, Black Women Professional Workers Co-op,
Workers’ Action Centre, Justice for Workers, Pan African Credit Union, and the Workers Health
and Safety Legal Clinic.
The unfortunate truth is that many workers don’t know how few rights they have until they
experience something tragic such as injury, illness or job loss. This is a terrible time to learn that
our laws don’t offer workers sufficient protections. The enforceable rights and protections that
we do have came about thanks to communities and organizations fighting for them and refusing
to back down.
We know that all levels of governments have a role to play in protecting Black workers who
continue to face disproportionate hardships. We call on our governments to close all loopholes
in labour legislation that allow employers to employ workers beneath the minimum standards, to
legislate paid sick-days, to ensure that all temp agency workers have equal protections, and
importantly, to grant permanent status to all workers.

@nowtoronto

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