"‘I expected better’: B.C. temporary foreign worker says he was exploited,"

A major construction union is calling for a suspension of Canada's temporary foreign worker program, citing the case of an Indonesian man who says he was exploited.

Ariefs, who Global News is not identifying because he fears retaliation for speaking out, came to Canada after seeing a job with Concord Wall Painting advertised in a YouTube ad.

He was hired to work on major public building expansions, including the Lions Gate and Royal Columbian hospitals.

"What attracted me was in Canada the opportunities are better than they are back home," he told Global News.

He believed he'd be paid $23 per hour along with free accommodation, something he said turned out to be untrue.

The company, he alleged, demanded over $1,000 from every paycheque for room and board -- in a house with eight other roommates -- leaving him with just $650 per pay period...

Ariefs said he was also required to work up to 10 hours of unpaid overtime per week, many on his day off.

He added that at first he was afraid the company would be able to send him home if he raised concerns...

He said that changed when he met someone from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), which ultimately organized the worksite and is negotiating a contract.

The union was able to recover $13,000 in unpaid overtime for Ariefs and also helped him adjust his federal work permit to grant him more freedom...

Concord Painting general manager Motor Ma declined an interview request but denied the allegations.

"Concord does not force workers to perform unpaid overtime work – if employees work overtime they are paid time and a half," the statement read.

"It was always upfront... that accommodations, utilities, meals and transportation for work would be provided, but at fair market value.”...