WORKING IN ONTARIO

Lots of myths about employment. First of all there is no shortage of labour. Never was, never will be. What there is and always will be is massive discrimination by employers. In theory at least they can't discriminate based upon ethnic background, religion, sex etc.. Just ask women, asians, blacks, muslims, hindus etc. how well Canada's laws have worked for them. Then of course the list of factors that employers can discriminate for or against is incredibly long. Hair colour, hair length, no hair, tatoos, height, weight, body build, education (too much or too little), accents even domestic (east coast etc.), personality, obsequiousness, facial scars, criminal records, public notoriety, environmental, health & safety, labour activists, hometown, parents occupation and on and on.

Labour legislation is not enforced in this province overall. Large unionized firms may well receive inspections on an annual basis. Small, non union construction companies don't. Same thing with factories. Offices just forget it. So called right to stop work for health and safety dangers. Good luck with that. If you're even remotely a newer, non-union employee and you ask questions, you're gone. The employer won't write you a letter telling you you're being fired for being too inquisitive, he'll find a dozen other frivolous reasons. Black lists have also been around forever. Leave a company and go to the Ministry of Labour with a complaint and you're a marked man. Go to the Ministry of Environment because of the behaviour of your employer and you're finished in that field and many others.

Employers like having large groups of "second class" employees. Who else are willing to do dirty, dangerous work cheaply? Immigrants, day labourers, migrant workers, ex-convicts, the poorly educated all are in demand for menial jobs. Temporary help agencies supply factories with people to do the really nasty, boring, menial work. Then you let them go, no fuss, no muss.

In order to move ahead in a company, competence, common sense, reliability and work ethic come a far second to loyalty and brown nosing. Not necessarily loyalty to the company as much as loyalty to the individual boss. The brown nosing is absolutely fundamental. Ontario bosses are big into status and prestige. They've got it and you don't and do not ever forget that. Productivity is good to talk about but ass kissing is constant and forever. This is what employment is all about in this province. Yes thankfully there are exceptions. Status, power, prestige, dominance are the perks of most management. Hence with notable exceptions it is not the cream that rises to the top. It is the power hungry, backstabbing, manipulative ones who do. It may well be an improvemnent over slavery and feudalism but the system is there to keep people suppressed. There absolutely is no democracy in the non-union workplace. If there was most employers would walk away.