Fair Wages for Workers

[John Zeger]

Tom Wilson in today's Daily Courier (June 27, 2005) makes an important point in his editorial "It's time to play catch up." Writing about recent pay raises in the public sector, he says that the private sector should also be raising the pay to its employees. The term "sunshine tax" used to be a euphymism which translated as the exploitation of workers who would take lower pay to work in the Okanagan in order to enjoy the lifestyle benefits. This type of treatment takes advantage not only temporary summer employees from out of town but also local youth who are forced to compete in the labour market and it is patently unfair. There are local employers who perch in their million dollar estates somewhere up the mountain while scores of Kelowna youth are trying to get by on minimum wage jobs. While Kelowna city council cannot change legislation governing the minimum wage it could apply some moral suasion to employers who are still engaged in this type of exploitation to get them to change their practices.

[tilma]

But city council does contribute to the local business climate through the business that they attract to come to Kelowna. How about all the new call centres. One only needs to talk to people who work(ed) there. They say there is a huge turnover of staff and the working environment is not good. There is no sign of any protection for the workers like a union.
But let's be absolutely clear that all these hotels, restaurants and wineries could not turn their nice profits if there was not a large labor pool available at cut throat wages. It serves the tourism industry just fine!