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| Powering the Labour Movement since 1987 |
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A project of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council in partnership with George Brown College.
[COPE 343]
Life
After
Lay-off
(by members of a Steelworkers Action Centre English class)
(by members of a Steelworkers Action Centre English class)
We are unemployed and frustrated
Steelworkers, laid off from our factories. We're currently
upgrading our English & Math at the Job Action Centre. Our
union, partnered by the Labour Education Centre, set up these classes
to prepare us for future employment. Despite our uncertain
future, the union's support has empowered us.
None of us planned to go back to school, but this class prepares us to apply our skills in a changing job market, for our next step in life. We come from different workplaces and countries, but have a lot in common; same problems, same feelings. The minute layoffs were announced, fear started - worry about money, did we have enough skill for a new job...Only one thing was sure; our union would help.
It's a journey of always feeling bad. Our households needed a new source of income right away.
We had to apply for Employment Insurance 'online' -a new word, a new world - and there were no staff to help. We felt disrespected, as if we were to blame. First we had to exhaust all our severance before we got EI. Then came a 6-week wait before any money arrived. And nothing for the first 2 weeks. Then only 55% of earnings! For a maximum of 40 weeks! This is Canada? We ask, how do our families survive?
Many of us want retraining. Again, many barriers. It's tough to fit training into the eligible period. It's hard to find quality training leading to good, secure jobs. The application process is intimidating; you have to conduct research, a skill we don't have, and reveal very personal financial details. Many give up.
We find that agencies are the only way to a job. some charge fees to enlist, but offer no guarantees. If we get injured, we're not covered. Some screen out specific ethnic groups. We get sent to unsafe places, vulnerable situations. We turn to them in desperation. They replace permanent with temp staff, which pits us against them. Government should stop agencies from exploiting us.
We're out of work now, but we've contributed to Canadian society. We lost all benefits. We're stressed. Older workers face discrimination. We need quality training. We deserve income support.
Counsellors and teachers at the Job Action centre help with job search. We workers support each other. We're lucky to have the centre; it keeps our sanity. Sadly, brothers and sisters without a union have nothing. Unions are good.
We write this letter to practice our English and to help change how workers get treated. We don't want it to be filed away. We invite government to meet us, to discuss our concerns. so many are being laid off from manufacturing, and face the same obstacles. In our situation, we just can't afford to wait.
(originally published in the August, 2008 issue of "Steel Thunder", newsletter of the United Steelworkers Toronto Area Council)
None of us planned to go back to school, but this class prepares us to apply our skills in a changing job market, for our next step in life. We come from different workplaces and countries, but have a lot in common; same problems, same feelings. The minute layoffs were announced, fear started - worry about money, did we have enough skill for a new job...Only one thing was sure; our union would help.
It's a journey of always feeling bad. Our households needed a new source of income right away.
We had to apply for Employment Insurance 'online' -a new word, a new world - and there were no staff to help. We felt disrespected, as if we were to blame. First we had to exhaust all our severance before we got EI. Then came a 6-week wait before any money arrived. And nothing for the first 2 weeks. Then only 55% of earnings! For a maximum of 40 weeks! This is Canada? We ask, how do our families survive?
Many of us want retraining. Again, many barriers. It's tough to fit training into the eligible period. It's hard to find quality training leading to good, secure jobs. The application process is intimidating; you have to conduct research, a skill we don't have, and reveal very personal financial details. Many give up.
We find that agencies are the only way to a job. some charge fees to enlist, but offer no guarantees. If we get injured, we're not covered. Some screen out specific ethnic groups. We get sent to unsafe places, vulnerable situations. We turn to them in desperation. They replace permanent with temp staff, which pits us against them. Government should stop agencies from exploiting us.
We're out of work now, but we've contributed to Canadian society. We lost all benefits. We're stressed. Older workers face discrimination. We need quality training. We deserve income support.
Counsellors and teachers at the Job Action centre help with job search. We workers support each other. We're lucky to have the centre; it keeps our sanity. Sadly, brothers and sisters without a union have nothing. Unions are good.
We write this letter to practice our English and to help change how workers get treated. We don't want it to be filed away. We invite government to meet us, to discuss our concerns. so many are being laid off from manufacturing, and face the same obstacles. In our situation, we just can't afford to wait.
(originally published in the August, 2008 issue of "Steel Thunder", newsletter of the United Steelworkers Toronto Area Council)
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For more information, call Jojo Geronimo, Executive Director at (416) 537-6532 x. 2200 or email infoline at laboureducation.org.