"Many immigrant workers exploited by warehouse employers, labour report reveals", 24 November 2019

A survey carried out...by the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC) observed two-thirds of warehouse employees are often forced to work overtime and 10 per cent are paid below Quebec’s minimum hourly wage...

...More than 15,600 workers lift boxes and drive forklifts in warehouses in the Montreal metropolitan region. Up to 80 per cent are immigrants, many of them hailing from African nations...

...The report concluded most warehouse workers are hired through placement agencies that in some cases collect nearly half their wages in commissions. Technically, it’s the placement agencies and not the warehouses that employ the workers...

...Olawale Ogundipe...said he landed a job through a placement agency at [a] Dollarama warehouse...He accused Dollarama of not helping him in any way following his injury...

...A spokesperson for Dollarama, insisted the company treats it warehouse workers well. 

“Dollarama maintains strict health and safety standards within its distribution centre and warehousing facilities...and has an excellent safety record...We provide competitive compensation, as well as a dynamic, discrimination-free work environment.”

The IWC is calling on the provincial government to adopt a decree to set common standards for warehouse workers, including guaranteed wages, paid holidays and sick leave...