Maybe I'm in a bad mood because it's snowing AGAIN.
But I just saw a news report on CBC this morning that raised my temperature in record time.
Here it is:
RBC replaces Canadian staff with foreign workers
It's bad enough when the RBC makes sales calls to me with a person on the other end of the phone that I can't understand because of a serious language barrier, but I am willing to forgive that because I assume English (as a first language) Canadians are either too lazy to do the job or there isn't anyone out there to fill the position.
In this situation outlined above by the CBC, the foreign workers are not even qualified to replace the Canadians. The Canadians are training the very people who will be replacing them.
RBC has since come out this morning to say they are looking at finding other jobs for the displaced Canadians, but that is only because of the negative feedback that is emerging this weekend.
Keep in mind this is a national bank that makes money hand over fist. Sure, it's prudent to cut costs where possible; but there should be a limit. Some things have to be chalked up as 'the cost of doing business'. If you are the Royal Bank of Canada, then you have to employ people from CANADA. Is that not in a mission statement somewhere?
The Canadian Government says RBC is breaking the rules by bringing in foreign workers. Wow. Bold move by the Conservatives. "Hey, you are breaking the rules." So what is the government going to do about it? Well, if I were Jason Kenney, I'd levy a real hefty fine, fire immigration officials who granted the work visas, and ban iGate from doing business in Canada ever again (Google, iGate and you will find they are a racist company allowed to continue offering its services to Canadian companies iGate fined for discrimination practices). Questionable ethics from RBC right there just for working with iGate, but that's another story. Then, I'd force RBC to re-instate the displaced workers. Too harsh?
An NDP critic was on CBC earlier today and says the time frame to search for a Canadian is quite short. The rules favor companies to hire less expensive foreign workers.
Why are they less expensive? In Yorkton, I know it is not unusual for large foreign families to all live under one roof, thus greatly reducing their expenses so they don't need to make as much to live. Is this something Canadians should start doing? Some would say 'yes'. I say 'no'. That is what makes Canada such a great place to live. The ability to EARN nice homes, large vehicles, more disposable income, etc. Unfortunately, what has happened is that Canadians have gotten lazy and don't have as much pride in their work (or have developed a sense of entitlement) and so companies have gone overseas to hire cheaper labour. I am assuming they figure if I am going to get less than excellent employees, I may as well pay less for it. And, I don't disagree with that. So, the onus is on us, as Canadian employees, to step up to the plate and make ourselves as close to irreplaceable as possible.
I do, however, wonder who is keeping a close watch to make sure there are no qualified Canadians? In the RBC case, I would guess either nobody is watching or that particular somebody should be canned.
I bank at RBC and have friends that are employed there. It's not personal. But, I cannot support an institution that does not support those that live in this country. If the RBC wants to save money by employing foreign workers, then I am going to also help them out by alleviating the expense incurred of managing my accounts. If you can't afford to do business with Canadians, then don't do business with them then. Very simple. So, I think I'll give it a couple of days to see if the RBC has a change of heart and then take measures to put what little money I have somewhere else.
I don't think my doing this will cause even a small ripple.
I just hope, for a change, Canadians will be pro-active on something we all oppose and I won't be the other one changing my banking allegiances.
If you were willing to say "charge me as much more as you need to, Big Banks of Canada, to exclude the need to be doing this", then, I might believe that Canadians agree.
ReplyDeleteI am not taking sides. I just see this as an outcome of a people, half a world away, willing to work for peanuts. I regret that the wealthier side of humanity is still willing to exploit the poorer half.
Ask yourself, each and every time you purchase a service or good whether you would be willing to pay **significantly** more to ensure it excluded foreign workers from having a hand in its delivery.
The question amounts to: "How much are you willing to reduce your standard of living to share more of your hard earned bucks with your fellow Canadian workers."
Some?
None?
As much as it takes?
I suggest not falling for the "I can't but I would if I could" argument.
Regards,
RBC is charging high fees even though they save money by outsourcing. It's greed. They have a team of consultants in the SMARTSOURCING dept to arrange overseas outsourcing. IT dept is not the first one to chop up. I work in other dept which is chopped up half year. I'm still here working 2 people workloads (previously 1.5 people works)with repeated questioning of my capababilities. Rushing all day non stop, got no appreciation but flustering.
DeleteThere is no "SmartSourcing" department in RBC.
ReplyDelete