Dear GLRC Friends,
We have been working to find ways to stay connected and to support one another during this global health and labour crisis, especially those whose livelihoods have been suddenly disrupted or suspended. We watch as the world of work is being upended, and longstanding economic, social and ecological injustices are laid bare. (For example, see links below.) This new reality presents us with a window of opportunity to effect change. With others, we are striving to seize the moment, to shape a new “normal”.
We are building a COVID-19 and the World of Work resource page, with links to news articles, policy analyses, information for workers, and work and labour resources. We will do our best to keep this collection up-to-date. Please help us by sending your suggestions and additions to glrc@yorku.ca.
Be well,
Luann.
It is reasonable to think that there will be no return to normal, and so much the better. The precarious, atomized, exhausting, stressful, disciplined, obsessive, xenophobic, ecocide, alienating, ungrateful, cynical, distressing, competitive, productivist and energy-consuming world that we have built in recent decades does not deserve to be returned to
In the case of care workers, the early elevated rates of pandemic amongst this workforce, particularly low wage, insecure and non-unionized workers, forces us to see the critical mistake of devaluing certain types of highly feminized labour connected to care
Cleaners, cashiers, child-care workers, servers: they are “just some of the most undervalued workers in our economy. They’ve been subjected to endless precarity and poverty wages, but their dedication will be critical to our capacity to get through the weeks ahead“
Migrant worker advocates have warned that long-standing poor working and living standards on Canadian farms put seasonal labourers at greater risk of contracting the virus, due in large part to workers’ precarious immigration status and poor enforcement of workplace and housing standards
At no other time in recent memory has it been so important for all orders of government to respond boldly and with the needs of everyone foremost in mind. Social solidarity, the primacy of collective care, and non-partisan co-operation must guide our actions in the weeks and months to come
In these difficult times, when everyone’s lives are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, you can do something important for your family, friends, neighbours and community. Please take five minutes to participate in our data collection on the Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians.
