Flaherty and this government seems to be targeting E.I. once again, this time forcing people to take what ever job is available, where ever its available, for what ever amount that it is paying. When will people wake up to what is happening? Back when jobs were good, U.I.(as it was called)paid 85% of your wages, now it's 65%. Now if you are fired with cause or Quit you are not eligable for it.(you used to have a longer waiting period but could still recieve it) decpite paying into it. Its bad enough these days that a worker can hardly find a job that dosn't have to go through a temp agency for six months to a year just to be hired (if your lucky enough) then go though the companies waiting period all over. My brother was one of those who inorder to find work had to move out west every 2nd week, working 16 hr days, and despite his residecy remains in ontario he is charged a working tax in yellow knife, so not only is that province gaining income from the work he's doing for that company but also from his paycheck, while he has no ties, other tha work to that province. Perhaps flaherty should be more concerned with fairly distibuting the welth of canada, rather than seeing how he can screw over anyone out of a job. E.I.= you can't quit, you cant be fired, 65% of what you were worth,if macdonalds is hiring and you don't take the job or even apply you may not be eligable. If you take the job and quit or get fired you won't be eligable. How many times as workers must we hear, how can we as a company compete with the third world? The answer -take away all our rights and dignity, and put nets around our work buildings to keep us from jumping. We are reflections of the past Living in the present And strieving for the future. With our hands we build it With our minds we create it With our concience we control it It would seem our mind has decieded to cut off our hands, and our concience is ok with it.
Yea, I'm sorry to tell you man, but Flahertys right. If there is a job to be had, take it. If you don't take it, then why should the public pay you to sit on your ass until you find that 'magical job' that will make everything better. As well, EI is for people who lost their job, not were fired for cause (doing something stupid), or Quitting? That's even worse. The only way I can see quitting and getting on EI is if you had to quit due to an unstable work environment (sexual harassment or unsafe working conditions or the like) and in that event, you should have to have an application in with your local labor board. I fully believe in programs like EI (tho the drop from 85% to 65% is bull(*)(*)(*)(*) for sure), but absolutely abhor the abuse of the system just because someone is lazy.
A while ago, I was working at a job and developed an injury from it. When I asked to have the injury reported to WSIB the company keeped asking for different doctors notes.(I.E. what is the injury, days off due to injury etc.). After about the third note requested from them they then informed me if I missed another day I would be fired. The only time off I had had were the days to get the notes,and the injury dates. The company never reported the injury to the WSIB, Niether the WSIB nor the labour board would help me, despite telling me I had a case. Fortunately back then I was able to recieve E.I. Today I would not have been. If you think people aren't fired without cause, and having companies saying they have cause, your wrong. The company saves on severence and unless you were independatly wealthy, with no income coming in for months to years, you won't be able to afford it. As far as quitting, you'ld be crazy to quit a job Knowing you"ll have no income, so anyone who quits a company should attomatically recieve sick/stress leave. As far as taking any job available. let me ask you this; you have two kids to feed,your rent/morgage is A thousand dollars a month,and you were barrly making ends meet at the 20$ an hour job you were working at. The E.I. clerk sees an ad for macdonalds for 11$/ hour. would you take it knowing that you will not make enough to live on, or keep looking for somthing in your field of work and pay needs.? (but you won"t have money coming in while you look).No so you take it, 9-5 at MacD's, and keep looking, missing time at work for every interview till finnally your fired. Now you have no job, no E.I. (after all you were fired). Well at least there's no questions asked, here is your check, wealfare.
Well if your getting screwed by your company or the WSIB then there isn't much that can be done. Other then taking it to a local paper or something. As for quitting a job and getting sick/stress leave? that's ridiculous. some people do quit because they just plain don't like their job. Like i said, if you have some pending issues with your work place then yea, you should get compensation for that time. As for the mcdonalds job, you take it so you have money coming in. then you schedule your interviews around it or call in sick. if you lose it, there are a whole bunch of other (*)(*)(*)(*)ty jobs you can get until you get something better. It sucks, but there are too many people gaming the system to compensate for every extreme case (not saying yours is, just saying in general) to be considered.
I've noticed your 28, and an engineer. Now no doubt, if or when, you were to get laid off, you would likly be intittled to a good severence(not entirely unlike our good civil servence) or a contractual buyout. Your average worker does not have that option. Some are lucky to get a severance at all. Being 28 you may not have a familly started, or are not fully aware of the finacial burdon a familly can have and the hardship on a familly this could have on allready poor famillies. There's a reason terms like "working poor" and "living wage", have become common place in todays society. Also I noticed you from alberta, where unemployment is about 4% where as here in ontario it's 8% and growing thanks to the tar sands oil sending our dollar up, making it unafordable for manufacturers to remain in canada, even our retail sales are moving to the states to avoid the high cost and high sales tax. You, like so many like you, just don't get it. E.I. pays a MAX. 459$/ week to a person. If you cut them off (of something they have paid into possibly their whole life) they'll just go on welfare for almost as much and have their healthcare covered as well. E.I. is, or has, become a system just like compensation where 90% of it's income goes towards fighting anyone who claims it. I wouldn't be surprised if the goverment uses this as an excuss to hire some more E.I. workers to inforce it again waisting our tax dollars.
See, now your changing the argument. I'm all for EI and the social programs to help those who can't help themselves. Its the people who just game the system because its easier then actual work. Also, just because I am a bit better off then someone in your neck of the woods, doesn't mean If i lost my job I wouldn't be f*cked. I still have bills to pay, and a mouth to feed. Iif i lose my job, i might be good for a month or two, but I still have to pay for other stuff, like gas for my car, food on my table, and rent for my place. I have worked (*)(*)(*)(*) jobs in between a better one just because I had too. But I guess because I live in the devils land of alberta with all our oilsands, I could never understand the 'woes of the peasant folk of canada' eh?
I don't see how I've changed the subject, and I don't see how forcing everyone to take a 30% pay cut everytime your laid off is going to deter the "people who just game the system". Even if the government could inforce it, it will require alot more E.I. employees to implement that inforcement, waisting more money than it would save. I've worked in sweat shops for minimum wage, and I've taken pay cuts on new jobs. I'm only just now starting to make what I was making 10 years ago, and It was likely one of the biggest mistakes of my life. It weighs heavily on ones phychological well being, and if the government thinks it can force me to take another 10 years to get back to where I am today, and was 10 years ago, they have another thing coming. Think how you'll feel when all the engineer jobs are shipped to india (some companies are doing it now, I know mine is) And your told you'll have to compete with them at 20,000$/year(I've heard you can live like a king for that over there). Its cheaper for companies to send blueprints and documents through fax machines than a fisical product. Think how you'll feel, then magnify that by twenty five years, and that is how I feel. There are so many factions of how this is wrong, from the way we are taxed, (even on E.I.), to the unheard voices of the working poor by the government(no doubt drowned out by the highly paid lobbyist).
EI..is an "insurance" policy that you pay into, just like auto insurance you're entitled to collect when sh*t happens, the public/government does not contribute funds to EI .....those who scam the system will not be deterred and they will continue to do so, those hurt by the changes will be the ones who really need it...
See, that's the thing your missing. I agree that the wage cuts aren't fair. I don't think you should have to take such a cut if your layed off. Our argument was about people being able to collect EI if they quit their job, and taking a job that, while it may not pay as much as you got before, will give you something to get through till you find a job that will pay that much. If your a highly qualified type of person, then yea, Mcdonalds is an insult and you shouldn't have to deal with that, but if you can get something close to what you had before, then take it.
