• Français
FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram
Find Your Local Union
Subscribe to E-news
 
Login
Contact

UFCW Canada - Union Logo

Canada's Private Sector Union

  • About Our Union
  • Media & News
  • Resources
  • Issues
  • Action Centre
  • Join the Union

UFCW Canada denounces recruiter fraud and abuse under TFW programs

UFCW Canada denounces recruiter fraud and abuse under TFW programsMexico City – April 9, 2016 – The expansion of Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) programs in Canada has created an enormous black market for unscrupulous agencies that are allowed to operate in Mexico and Central America. Job offer scams, illegal fees, property confiscation, and other abuses plague the recruitment system that exploits temporary foreign workers from Mexico and Central America regions seeking work in Canada.

UFCW Canada and regional allies united under the INILAB (Regional Labour Mobility Initiative)network are denouncing the lack of regulation and proper coordination between the regions’ authorities, and are asking for a regional exchange to address the current crisis.

In the last 15 years, the growth of TFW migrants to new sectors in Canada has created a privatized, unregulated market that exploits migrant workers’ vulnerabilities. Placement fees are illegal under current Canadian legislation but employers have not been made responsible for the actions taken by recruitment intermediaries. The migrant-paid share to unscrupulous recruiters can be up to a third of their expected earnings.

The lack of transparency in the recruitment process also allows phony agencies to charge for non-existent job offers. While stats are hard to come by, INILAB estimates that up to 9,000 people have been robbed by these agencies over the past five years. The Global Workers Justice Alliance, a long-standing UFCW Canada ally, has also denounced the confiscation of property titles in Guatemala by recruiters of temporary workers.

The private sector should not determine the shape and conditions of the labour force without proper regulation and enforcement. A regional dialogue on fraud prevention and institutional co-operation on recruitment is urgent.  

  • Media & News
    • News
      • All News
      • Agriculture
      • By the Numbers
      • Campaigns
      • Directions Newsletter
      • Infographics
      • Politics
      • Social Justice
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Young Workers
      • Health & Safety
    • Media
      • Videos
      • Photo Gallery
      • Posters
    • Subscribe to E-news
  • Join the Union
  • About Our Union
    • About Our Union
      • Find Your Local Union
      • National President
      • National Council
      • Constitution
      • Union History
      • Mission Statement
      • Annual Reports
      • Join UFCW Canada
  • Media & News
    • Media & News
      • News
      • Media
      • Subscribe to E-news
  • Resources
    • Resources
      • Union Training & Scholarships
      • Health & Safety
      • The National Defence Fund
      • Member Discounts
      • Great Canadian Food Products
      • UFCW Canada Equity Grant Program
  • Issues
    • Issues
      • Leukemia Fundraising
      • Political Action
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Social Justice
      • The Union for Agriculture Workers
      • UFCW Pride – Union Pride!
      • Young Workers
      • Food Justice
      • Global Solidarity
      • Uber Drivers United
      • Conscious Cannabis
  • Action Centre
    • Action Centre
      • Paid Sick Days Now!
      • Stop the Hate! Support an anti-racist COVID-19 recovery
      • Add Your Voice to the Call for Universal Childcare
      • Take Action to Protect Farm Workers and Canada’s Food Supply
      • Show your support for frontline workers
      • Help Food Processing Workers!
      • Economic Security for All
      • What you need to know about COVID-19
      • Support the expansion of EI benefits
      • Help support justice for First Nations children in Canada
      • Support Uber Drivers
      • Tell Sobeys to protect workers and ditch toxic receipts
      • Save The Beer Store
      • #NoMore campaign to end gender-based violence
      • Help close the Gender Wage Gap today
      • Stop Cargill’s union-busting in Turkey
  • Join the Union
    • Join the Union
      • Why UFCW Canada
      • Union Advantage
      • Union Facts
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Everything About Unions
      • Industries We Represent
      • Workplaces We Represent
      • How to Join a Union
      • Join Now

Login

FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram

Copyright © 2022 UFCW Canada. All Rights Reserved
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Canada's private sector union