The Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, launches a new investigation in reaction to the article of the Homework concerning temporary workers who worked for months without a permit or salary in a private residence in Lévis.
“I find it revolting and unacceptable,” reacted the minister in an interview Thursday morning. “I have urgently asked the investigators of the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) to go and carry out the necessary analyzes and verifications. […] I want to get to the bottom of things as quickly as possible. »
The duty revealed Thursday that a residence for seniors in Lévis, the Villa Mon Domaine, has been the subject of a series of complaints for its way of treating its foreign workforce, in particular for having made people work for months without license or salary.
The minister also confirmed that the CNESST had already received a complaint in this case in the fall. The complaint alleged insufficient remuneration, prohibited practices, psychological harassment, disparity in working conditions and constructive dismissal. However, according to the Minister, the file had been “closed”.
Best supervision requested
Earlier, opposition in the National Assembly had urged the government to act in this file.
“The majority of employers are doing the right thing. But, in certain cases, so that there is no drift, it must be much better framed, much better framed, “in particular pleaded the liberal leader, Dominique Anglade.
“I assume that there will be investigations that will be done and I call them with all my wishes”, reacted the united deputy Vincent Marissal. “We are no longer in a feudal system where we can bring people here and then make them work like slaves. That does not make any sense. […] You have to call the police there, or, in any case, you have to check for sure if there are any laws that have been violated. These people must be protected urgently. »
At the Parti Québécois, MP Joël Arseneau said that the facts reported were “unspeakable”. “The government or the CISSS must certainly investigate the situation. »