Monday, June 21, 2010

Toronto Workers Told To Take Vacation or LOA During G20




Everyone in Toronto has been talking about how they're getting screwed by the Toronto G20, either because they live downtown and it's going to be mayhem, or because they work downtown and that's going to be a nightmare. From Jays games being moved out of town, to Musicals being cancelled... The G20 may be good for Toronto, but it sure is horrible for Torontonians.

The latest story that I heard was from someone on the subway who was complaining that she was told today at work to either take vacation days during the G20, or to take an unpaid leave of absence. She asked not to mention who her employer is (for obvious reasons), but let's just say that she works at a corporate headquarters for a large company. So given that, we're not talking about a small business that won't make money during that time.  We're talking about a corporation that knows it's unrealistic to expect workers to make it downtown to work during the G20, and as such instead of taking the hit, they're passing it on down to the poor Torontonian worker...

This poor lady said that she has limited vacation time, and needs those days to go visit her mother who is sick overseas. The only other choice for her is not getting paid for those days, and with all of the crazy increases in everything from hydro, to this tax and that fee here in Toronto, she's doomed.

How will she be compensated for those lost wages?

Now, again, there are positive reasons for Toronto and Canada to host the G20. And all nations involved should take turns in taking that responsibility. All I'm saying is that next time, instead of just going with a location right in the heart of everything in Toronto because "that would be cool", think about all of the people who will be impacted by this and choose a more logical location.

--jackandcokewithalime


(Image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kojach/4705348776/sizes/l/ by Kojach on flickr
)

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