Update from USW District 5 Director Dominic Lemieux
Temporary foreign workers (TFWs) are becoming increasingly numerous in Quebec workplaces. While some come from countries and regions where French is already spoken and/or taught, such as the Maghreb, for others learning the French language presents a huge challenge.
Speaking the common language should not be a luxury in the workplace, it’s an important health and safety
issue. It’s a necessity in performing one’s job and in communicating with colleagues. In the longer term, it’s also a necessity if you want to settle in Quebec permanently, as all immigration programs require a good knowledge of French. The government has even announced that a certain level of French will soon be required when renewing a TFW permit.
Temporary foreign workers are often left to learn French on their own. Courses offered by school boards are often difficult to access without a car, schedules are not compatible with work hours, and content is unfortunately poorly adapted to the reality of language in our workplaces. Sometimes, it’s employers who sabotage francization efforts by requesting that TFWs work overtime.
Addressing this issue requires a much more integrated approach. It can’t be left solely on the shoulders of
individual temporary foreign workers, who are already in a very precarious situation.
As a union, we must pressure employers to assume their responsibilities and offer paid French courses in the workplace. After all, it’s the responsibility of employers to ensure the workers hired are fully capable of doing the job and speaking the common language is an essential work skill.
Quebec’s Charter of the French Language guarantees the right to work in French, and employers are responsible for ensuring this right is upheld. Nevertheless, employers seem to take this obligation somewhat lightly when it comes to hiring temporary foreign workers. Therefore, we must insist on French-language courses in our workplaces and we must demand that governments make francization in the workplace a mandatory condition for employers using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
In solidarity,
Dominic Lemieux
USW District 5 Director
This article appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of USW@Work magazine.
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