Temporary foreign workers have better work ethic, some employers believe

Some Canadian employers are willing to incur the added costsofhiring temporary foreign workers because they believe they have a better work ethic than Canadian workers, says the president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

"I can tell you,anecdotally, Ive had many many emails from small business owners whove said that their temporary foreign workersare among the most productive employees, that are doing really high quality work, that have terrific customer serviceskills and, more than anything, are reliable," Dan Kelly said in a phone interview with CBC News.

The issue of temporary foreign workers has again become a subject of controversyfollowing aCBC Go Public story that revealed that restaurant chain McDonalds is under federal investigation overpossible abuses of the Temporary Foreign Worker program at a franchise outlet in B.C.

• FLOWCHART: Hiring temporary foreign workers
• EXCLUSIVE:McDonald's accused of favouring foreign workers
• McDonald's franchisee could face charges over foreign workers
  

The government probe began after aMcDonald's employee toldGo Public that the fast food outlet is bringing in Filipino workers while cutting local staffershours and turning away dozens of seemingly qualified Canadians seeking jobs.

Won't take day off to 'take their dog to the vet'

Although Kelly said he couldn't comment on the specifics of the B.C. McDonald's case, he said that, unfortunately, he does hear more and more from business owners that "temporary foreign workers are often their hardest working employees" who will"take every late shift or early morning shift thats offered to them."

"Theyre not going to take the day off because they have to take their dog to the vet. Theyre going to show up to work on time,they'regoingto work a full week without disappearing," Kelly said.

"Thestrengthsof some oftheTFWworkers, interms of their work ethic is, it pains me to say this, but, sometimes itis better than that of their Canadian counterparts," Kelly said.

Employers who do bring in temporary foreign workers forlow-skill jobs mustgo though huge amounts of paperwork and incur extracosts that includeproviding their foreign employees withairfareto and from their home country and helping them with accommodations, Kelly said.

"I do think that there are an increasing number of employers who believe that, despite the higher costs that the TFWprogram often will bring to them," that temporary foreign workers are worth the extra expense because they are more dependablethanthe domestic workforce. "Sadly, we are hearing that."

Kelly said it's time to have an "adult conversation about the world of work"and that "we have to admit as Canadians that there are certain sectors of the economy and certain regions of the country where Canadians are not particularly excited about working.

"And the retail sector and the hospitality sector in particular often canfind somebody that might show up for a couple of days, but then disappears. And what an employer needs is some consistency," he said.

But Gil McGowan, president of theAlberta Federation of Labour, strongly rejectsclaimsthat Canadian workers are less productive than temporary foreign workers. He said the difference is that many foreign workers are compliant, out of fear of losing their job.

'Shameful argument'

"Is it a bad thing that Canadians stand up for themselves and don't allow themselves to be pushed around by their employers in low-wage service sector jobs?"

"What he's saying is that the government should provide low-wage employerswith a compliant, pliablegroupof workers who are afraid to stand up for themselves," McGowan said. "And that whenworkersstand up for themselves and refuse to be disrespected intheworkplace, that that is somehow a bad thing?I think most Canadians would find that offensive."

McGowan saidjustifyingthetemporary foreign worker program because it giveslow-wage employers access to a "large and growing group of exploitableworkers" who won'ttake a sick day or take time off for asick child is a "shameful argument."

In the B.C. McDonald's case, Go Public found that records showedseveral of theFilipino workers were actuallypaid 20 per cent more than most of the Canadian staff.

Kelly said he wasn't at all surprised to hear that."This happens all the time," he said.

Kelly said if an employer is in an industry like big full-service restaurants, then theemployer is required to pay the industry average. That meansthey will often end up paying temporary foreign workers more than Canadian workers.

Dominique Gross, professor at Simon Fraser University's School of Public Policy, saidthePhilippinesactually has a programthat promotesand trains its citizens to become temporary foreign workers abroad who, in turn, send home money to their families.

The Philippines government setsoutrules and organizes training for temporary foreignworkers because it doesn't want their citizens to give theircountry a bad reputation.This means Filipinosare taught how to be disciplined and how to work in high-incomecountries, she said.

Prof. Gross said thatthere haven't been any studies comparing the productivity of temporary foreignworkersto Canadians. But if Canadian employers believe these workers will be hard-working, reliable, and will have the correct skills for thejob, they will be ready to "pay them a little bit morebecausetheirproductivity is pretty good."

As well, temporary foreign workers can be hired for four years. With a high turnover rate in the restaurant and service industry,employers greatly valueworkers they knowwill be with them for a set term.

Removing the spectre ofuncertainty in an industry with an ever-changinglabour market may be worth the extra money spent on temporary foreign workers, Gross said.

"So they are pretty much assured that for four years, they're going to get pretty good workers," Gross said. "Thebusinessesmay be ready to to pay a little bit more for that because potentiallyit saves money."