SIKLAB – Vancouver, Bus Rider’s Union, Grassroots Women
Press Release

May Day reclaimed to stop exploitation of migrant labour in Canada

For immediate release: May 8, 2006

Vancouver, B.C. – Almost 300 people from migrant, immigrant and refugee communities, human rights groups, and unions participated in a May Day march and rally on last Monday through a working class neighborhood in support of migrant and undocumented workers.

The rally was organized by SIKLAB – Vancouver (Advance and Uphold the Rights of Overseas Filipino Workers), Bus Rider’s Union and Grassroots Women, who are participating organizations of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) an international anti-imperialist formation.

Chanting in unison, “Workers unite for migrant rights!” and,  “Stop the deportations, racist immigration!” rally participants of all ages took to the streets in Vancouver’s Eastside to protest how migrant labor is used to prop up Canada’s economy at the expense of their basic rights and welfare.

Ning Alcuitas-Imperial of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle greeted the rallyists saying the march was a strong symbol of the working peoples’ reclaiming of a militant May Day in Vancouver.

In a national statement of Filipino migrant workers’ groups across Canada, Imelda Emnace of SIKLAB-B.C. stated “Temporary status and a host of other policies like non-accreditation of our profession serve to maintain us as a pool of highly-educated but cheap labor.”  She criticized how “live-in caregivers suffer deportation threats and are arbitrarily ordered to return to the Philippines to ensure we continue to work in the most difficult, dangerous, and dirty low-paying jobs.”

The May 1 protest joined the 1.1 million marchers in more than two dozen U.S. cities popularly known as a “Day Without Immigrants.”  The nationwide actions slowed or shut many farms, factories, markets and restaurants in response to federal legislation that would criminalize illegal immigrants.  Workers and supporters around the world also held rallies to press for better working conditions and higher wages.

Merryn Edwards of Grassroots Women denounced how working class women suffer job insecurity and poverty.  She explained that “intense exploitation of the over 90,000 foreign workers and an estimated 200,000 undocumented workers are being used to do work on farms, in private homes, and in the construction industry under conditions that most Canadians refuse.”

Rally participants also slammed policies like the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) which exploit migrant labour and attack public services.  Sharon Lardizabal of the Filipino Nuses Support Group stated “Under the LCP, Filipino nurses are used as a cheap substitute to not only a national day care program, but also much-needed health care for elderly and sick patients and their families in the community.”  The need to build grassroots unity was voiced by Yuly Chan of the Bus Riders’ Union “We have to continue fighting to defend our right to public services, especially for immigrant and migrant communities, and continue building on our history of resistance and struggle.”

Other organizations that took part in the rally included No One is Illegal, International Indigenous Youth Conference Secretariat, People’s Front, South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy, Justicia for Migrants-B.C., Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance, Palestinian Arab Women’s Association, the B.C. Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, Philippine Women Centre of B.C., La Surda, FMLN, and the Hospital Employees’ Union.

Strong unity was forged among all groups and ordinary community members in the Lower Mainland by reclaiming May Day under the banner of anti-imperialism and democracy.  They hope to continue and strengthen this unity by honouring the militant tradition of May Day annually.

The groups concluded the rally and march by holding the Canadian government responsible to ensure immigrant and migrant workers’ rights to gainful employment, decent working conditions, wages, job security, and livelihood.

Participants were encouraged to participate in the upcoming international conference, “Towards a Just and Lasting Peace,” being held under the auspices of the ILPS on June 16-19, 2006 at the Russian Hall in Vancouver, B.C.

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For more information, contact:

SIKLAB at 604-215-1103 or siklab@kalayaancentre.net; Grassroots Women at 604-682-4451 or grassrootswomen@telus.net; or Bus Riders’ Union at 215-2775 or bru@resist.ca