Tuesday, September 28, 2004

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[IWS] CANADA: Weekly Work Report, 27 September 2004

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                 Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations          Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                  Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                      Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

(The following is courtesy of the Centre for Industrial Relations, University of Toronto).

Weekly Work Report for the Week of September 27, 2004

These highlights of the week's HR/IR news are prepared by the Librarians at the Centre for Industrial Relations for our subscribers, alumni, faculty and students, and are intended for their individual use only.  Please visit the <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir/library/wwreport/weeklyworkreport.html>CIR website for terms of use and information about organizational subscriptions.  This message is composed in MS Outlook Express and contains hyperlinks that require an HTML-enabled email program.

The WWR is protected by Canadian copyright law and should not be reproduced or forwarded without permission.   For inquiries or comments,  please contact the Editor,  <mailto:elizabeth.perry@utoronto.ca>.

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CANADA ATTRACTS OFFSHORE CALL CENTRES:  According to a recent report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) titled World Investment Report: The Shift Towards Services, Canada is one of several developed countries that is benefiting from the trend in offshoring. It is not necessarily the developing nations that attract offshore services: for example, Canada was second only to India in attracting call centers in 2002 and 2003. Four countries ­ Canada, India, Ireland and Israel ­ attracted 70% of the offshore market in services in 2001.

LINKS:

World Investment Report: The Shift Towards Services (468-pages, PDF) at the  UNCTAD website at <http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/wir2004_en.pdf>

The Offshoring of Corporate Service Functions: The Next Global Shift? (35 pages, PDF)  the offshoring chapter from the full report,  is available as a separate file at <http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/wir2004ch4_en.pdf>

“Offshoring benefits Canada” in the Globe and Mail (Sept. 23) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040923.gtoffshore23/BNStory/einsider/?query=offshoring+of+jobs>

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CANADIAN LABOUR CONGRESS DEBATES INDUSTRIAL POLICY:  In preparation for the economic policy debate at its next convention, the Canadian Labour Congress ( CLC) convened an Industrial Policy Conference in Ottawa on  September 22-23.  The CLC remains opposed to the FTAA and NAFTA, but discussed means of improving it and recognizing the reality of the global economy.

Coverage in the National Post and other Canwest media outlets stated that CLC president Ken Georgetti admitted that free trade boosted manufacturing, that jobs that had been lost had been slowly recovered, and that he saw little point in continuing to oppose free trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement.  The CLC has labeled the Canwest coverage as a deliberate and malicious falsification, and has announced that it will initiate legal action against National Post and other newspapers in the CanWest chain.

LINKS:

CLC Press release re Industrial Policy Conference, Sept. 22 & 23 at <http://www.clc-ctc.ca/web/menu/english/en_index.htm>

Speech by Ken Georgetti opening the CLC Industrial Policy convention at <http://action.web.ca/home/clccomm/en_readingroom_speeches.shtml>

“Georgetti’s about face on free trade something we can all celebrate”, Editorial  in the Vancouver Sun (September 23)  at <http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=d1f6786a-2505-44be-9c93-7757312ffccb>

“Improve free trade unions tell government” in the Globe and Mail (Sept. 23) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040923/LABOUR23/TPNational/Canada>

Archive of CLC position papers on globalization, international trade and the economy at <http://action.web.ca/home/clcpolcy/en_issues.shtml?cat_name=Globalization,+Trade,+International+Economy+and+Policy>

Email from Georgetti re National Post story at <http://www.nupge.ca/news_2004/n23se04b.htm>

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FACT AND PERCEPTION OF NORTH AMERICAN INTEGRATION:  On September 28, the Institute for Research in Public Policy released a series of working papers titled Mapping The New North American Reality. 17 working papers were prepared in late 2003 to examine the issues and obstacles in integrating the economies and societies of Canada, Mexico and the United States.  Of particular interest is a paper by Chantal Carpentier on trade and the environment.

LINKS:

Institute for Research in Public Policy announcement and links to working papers at <http://www.irpp.org/indexe.htm>

Trade and the environment (8 pages, PDF) at <http://www.irpp.org/miscpubs/archive/NA_integ/wp2004-09f.pdf>

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TIPS ON INTERNAL MARKETING OF HR DEPARTMENTS:  The Human Resource Professional Association of Ontario (HRPAO) has posted the September 2004 issue of the HR Professional magazine.  Selected contents are available on the HRPAO website, including the cover story, “The Magic Key.”  It reports on a roundtable discussion about internal marketing  of HR departments, with comments by  Karen Atchinson (Director of HR at Ernst & Young LLP),  Veronica Ding (Director of HR, Edward Jones) and  Alan Middleton (Executive director, Schulich Executive Centre).

LINKS:

“The Magic Key” in HR Professional September 2004 issue at <http://www.hrpao.org/HRPAO/KnowledgeCentre/HRProfessional/>

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CANADIAN AWARDS FOR TRAINING EXCELLENCE:  CSTD, Canada’s national professional association for training and workplace learning, announced the 2004 winners of the Canadian Awards for Training Excellence on September 15. Awards will be presented during the CSTD Knowledge Exchange Conference in Toronto from November 1- 4.  Awards are made for the   best workplace training programs in a variety of industry sectors, including financial services, retail, manufacturing, public sector, healthcare, and not-for-profit, and cover internal and external training programs and e-learning initiatives.

LINKS:

Canadian Society for Training and Development website at <http://www.cstd.ca/awards/index.html>

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AN UPDATE ON THE ABORIGINAL WORKFORCE:  The Canadian Labour and Business Centre recently released a study titled The Aboriginal Work Force: What Lies Ahead.  The study looks at such issues as educational attainment, employment rates and employment by industrial sector.  Between 1996 and 2001, the number of aboriginal people with post-secondary training rose from 33% to 38%.

LINKS:

The Aboriginal Work Force: What Lies Ahead (8 pages, PDF) <http://www.clbc.ca/Research_and_Reports/Archive/report09210401.asp>

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VULNERABLE WORK AND WORKERS IN THE NEW ECONOMY:  In a report released on September 27, University of Toronto law professor Kerry Rittich examines the increasing vulnerability and insecurity for some workers in the new economy. Her report discusses how trends in governance and regulation affect the vulnerability of workers, and the key issues and debates about vulnerable work.  Also included: the issue of workplace equality and the feminization of the  workplace.  The report was originally presented at a June 2003 roundtable conducted by the Law Commission of Canada (LCC) in partnership with the Canadian Policy Research Networks, as part of the LCC Vulnerable Worker research project.  Other earlier reports from this project are also online, including The Legal Concept of Employment: Marginalizing Workers  by  Judy Fudge, Eric Tucker and Leah F. Vosko, and  Erotic Service / Erotic Dance Establishments: Two Types of Marginalized Labour by Chris Bruckert, Colette Parent and Pascale Robitaille

LINKS:

Law Commission of Canada Vulnerable Worker project at <http://www.lcc.gc.ca/en/themes/er/tvw/worker_main.asp>

Vulnerability at Work: Legal and Policy Issues in the New Economy by Kerry Rittich  in HTML and  PDF format  at <http://www.lcc.gc.ca/en/themes/er/tvw/rittich/rittich_toc.asp>

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WHO IS IN THE SANDWICH GENERATION ?:  An article in the latest issue of online Perspectives on Labour and Income by Statistics Canada  reports  on the “sandwich generation”: people caught between the demands of raising children and of caring for aging parents or other relatives. The article is based on the 2002 General Social Survey and reports that 712,000 individuals between  45 to 64 years old were living with unmarried children under 25 and  also caring for a senior ­usually, but not always,  a parent . More than 80% of these “sandwiched” individuals work and are often obliged to alter their hours of work or to lose income.  15% of sandwiched workers had to reduce their hours, 20% had to change their schedules and 10% lost income.

LINK:

“The Sandwich Generation” summary in The Daily  (September 28) at <http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040928/d040928b.htm>.  This includes a link to purchase the full article ($6.00) from Statistics Canada .

“’Sandwich generation’ stresses likely to grow”  in the Globe and Mail (Sept. 28) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040928.wwich0928/BNStory/National/>

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EUROPEAN APPROACHES TO FAMILY LEAVES:  The various forms of family-related leave are described in a recent report on the European Industrial Relations Observatory Online. The report looks at legislated and collectively bargained approaches to types of family leave ­ maternity leave, paternity leave, parental leave and urgent leave ­ in the 19 EU countries and Norway. An overview article and articles on each country are available.

LINKS:

Family related leave and industrial relations: comparative study (HTML) at the EIRO website at <http://www.eiro.eurofound.eu.int/2004/03/study/index_2.html>

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NEW WEBSITE FOR DIVERSITY RESEARCH:  The Canadian Policy Research Network has added a “Diversity Gateway” to its website. The new page contains a link to statistics on minorities and immigrants from the 2001 Census and other sources, a link to relevant research reports published by CPRN and a brief history of Canadian immigration policy.

LINK:

The Diversity Gateway at  <http://www.cprn.org/en/diversity.cfm>

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Centre for Industrial Relations 121 St. George St. Toronto Canada M5S 2E8     <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir>

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

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Stuart Basefsky                 *
Director, IWS News Bureau               *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                      *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor            *
New York, NY 10016                      *
                                        *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703               *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                     *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                *
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