COVID-19 and Essential Workers

To what extent should essential workers be forced to come into work? This is a question that has been on my mind during these stressful times. In my opinion, workers should not be forced to go into work if someone they live with or themselves are at high-risk for the virus, or if their workplace is not taking proper precautions and is infringing on their safety rights. Further, these workers should not be punished for not going into work and be compensated for unemployment. As the whole world hides out, Covid-19 has put an immense pressure on front line essential workers who must continue to work and potentially expose themselves and their families to the virus every day. Workplaces have come up with new measures in order to ensure the safety of their workers, however, some environments have struggled to take proper safety precautions. One of these work environments is construction.

Construction has been deemed essential if it pertains to: “projects and services associated with the health care sector, including new facilities, expansions, renovations and conversion of spaces that could be repurposed for health care space. Projects and services required to ensure safe and reliable operations of critical provincial infrastructure, including transit, transportation, energy and justice sectors beyond the day-to-day maintenance. Construction work and services, including demolition services, in the industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sectors. Construction work and services that support health and safety environmental rehabilitation projects” (Ontario Government, 2020).

This means that a huge portion of construction workers are still hard at work and considered essential. The construction sites are a concern for two reasons, the lack of social distancing and the lack of proper sanitization capacities (National Post, 2020). Construction usually requires multiple workers to be in close proximity to each other and to work in soiled environments. If workers are not at a minimum of six feet apart, the virus could easily be transmitted to all workers who will then take it home to their families. Many have raised concerns and are constantly in a state of anxiety that the virus will be brought home to elder or vulnerable family members (National Post, 2020). Further, the lack of proper sanitization facilities means that workers cannot practise safe handwashing. This results in an increased risk of getting covid-19, as workers may touch their faces or eat their lunch with virus covered hands. Workers are also worried about speaking out, in the fear of losing their jobs or being reprimanded; with all the stress they are currently under, they should not have to worry about unemployment. Workers should not be punished for seeking safe working conditions to which they are rightfully entitled to. This issue is not only a concern for the workers’ physical health but also their mental health. Being in a constant state of fear for themselves, their loved ones and their financial stability puts a huge strain on their mental state.

Recently, unions and labour workers have pushed for inspections of construction sites in order to ensure safe working conditions (Bogdan, 2020). They have threatened to shut down any sites that do not meet the requirements of the Ministry of Labor. Further, Premier Doug Ford has made a statement ensuring the government will support these workers if they choose to leave unsafe sites (Bogdan, 2020). Although this is a good step in the right direction, more needs to be done such as giving workers the right to choose whether they come to work or not amidst this crisis, even if the safety concerns are resolved. This will help reduce the levels of stress for workers vulnerable to the virus or with family memebers vulnerable to the virus. This pandemic is a serious concern and must be treated as such.

#EMPR200

Work Cited:

Bogdan, Sawyer. “Ontario Union Raises Safety Concerns for Construction Workers amid COVID-19.” 980 CFPL, Global News, 28 Mar. 2020, globalnews.ca/news/6746054/union-safety-concerns-construction-covid-19/.

Ontario Government. “List of Essential Workplaces.” Ontario.ca, www.ontario.ca/page/list-essential-workplaces#section-8.

Staff, National Post. “COVID-19: ‘We’re All Breathing on Each Other’ Says Toronto Construction Worker, Slamming Job Site.” National Post, 26 Mar. 2020, nationalpost.com/news/canada/covid-19-were-all-breathing-on-each-other-says-toronto-construction-worker-slamming-unsafe-site.

A headline that reads: Number of Temp Workers Jumped by 50% in the last 20 years, StatsCan Says, immediately grabs our attention and signals some sort of panic. Especially once we read it and realize that the sectors affected by this are primarily education, health care and social assistance; and that women are hired as temporary workers at higher rates than men (temporary workers can be regarded as employees that are hired as seasonal, casual or by contract; therefore, you are hired for specific amounts of time). This panic is partly due to the connotations around temporary work, it is often seen as quite a negative employment situation. The article discusses how temporary workers tend to have a lack of proper benefits such as insurance and sick leave. They also receive lower wages on average than permanent workers, although this trend seems to have diminished with the years. Finally, there is an immense instability for temporary workers, which can be a source of stress, especially for young families or single parents. Temporary work is not something that benefits most of the working class. It is a form of employment that seems to benefit the employer rather than the employee; however, this is not entirely true. As the article points out, temporary work can be very beneficial for certain people in the population such as youths who are pursuing postgraduate studies, which is an aspect I would like to focus on.

Temporary work can be a useful way to add experience to your resume and develop your skills. Temporary work can help demonstrate to your employers that you are essential to their company through hard work which can possibly result in future full-time employment. As a full-time student, I currently find temporary work very beneficial as I require more flexibility and do not necessarily need all the benefits of a full-time permanent employment. I currently hold a “casual” position as a receptionist at the local hospital in my home town, which means I am constantly on call to replace part-time and full-time workers. This type of employment allows me to focus on my school work during the year and work a couple shifts every once in a while, and to pick up more shifts during the summer. I am lucky enough that this specific position is unionized and that a total of 20% is added to every pay to make up for benefits and vacation that a permanent worker receives. There is also opportunity for growth at this particular job, for example, I started out on a seasonal contract at the hospital, then become casual and there is an opportunity for me to apply to a part-time or full-time position if I wish to do so. This, however, can be a long and gruelling process for someone who needs the steady employment with good benefits right away. Evidently, not all workplaces are the same and not all temporary work will offer the same treatment, my current employment does not represent the reality of all temporary work. Some temporary work may be more beneficial than others.

Brief, the rising levels of temporary workers is something that is very alarming because youths are not necessarily making up the majority of the workforce. Further, as the younger population matures they will eventually seek a permanent steady employment. As mentioned before, temporary work can be very stressful as it is unstable and requires employees to prove themselves to gain a permanent position or to have a good reputation for future employment; it is not ideal for most of the population. Although some temporary work is required in order to be able to replace sick leaves, maternity leaves, students and other workers who require flexible work, the levels of temporary work need to be reduced.

I personally see both beneficial and non-beneficial aspects to temporary work as highlighted in the paragraphs above. I am curious to find out how my peers view this topic, so I ask: What are your views surrounding temporary employment?

Source:

Number of temp workers jumped by 50% in the last 20 years, StatsCan says | CBC News. (2019,

May 15). Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/temporary-workers-employment-1.5135310      

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