OCHU

Action Plan Component on Working From Home

(Presentation by Mark Wright)
Context
Technology is driving the pressure for homework.
Employers see flexible staffing and cost savings through reduced overhead.
Employees like working from home: no commuting, parking costs etc.
Gender is a factor in home-work, for example, women can be home for their children for lunch and have flexibility in their work hours.
Other employees resent it: they can’t work from home because of the nature of their job.
Arrangements slowly erode the power of the bargaining unit.
There is a danger of exploitation of home-workers by moving to piece work ( eg being forced to take internet downtime as vacation ), isolation from co-workers and the union, and dependency on relationship with supervisor.
As a result of the home-workers’ isolation from the union and dependent relationship with the supervisor, there is little enforcement of the Employment Standards Act or their collective agreement provisions in a complaint based system...read full overview