ACSESS Supports Government's Announcement to Protect Temporary Workers

    TORONTO, Dec. 9 /CNW/ - The Association of Canadian Search, Employment &
Staffing Services (ACSESS) is "very supportive of the new anti-poverty
initiative, announced today by the Ontario government," said President Steve
Jones. "We favour this multi-faceted approach that includes improvements in
daycare, housing and recognizes the need to support protection for temporary
employees."
    As Canada's only national advocate for promoting and ensuring
professional ethics and standards in the employment, recruitment and staffing
industry, ACSESS has a very positive working relationship with Minister of
Labour, Peter Fonseca and his staff, and will continue to provide expertise to
ensure that temporary workers are protected through a shared vision and
intended objectives - following the tabling of this bill today. According to
Jones, "Our goal is to make sure that any changes to the Employment Standards
Act serve to protect both employees' and employers' interests in this
important industry."
    Minister Fonseca has indicated, in a letter to ACSESS, that, "Any
proposed legislation or regulatory amendments would aim to ensure that
employment legislation is supportive of agencies and businesses that operate
within the law and have practices that recognize the needs of employees."
    ACSESS fully supports the government's objective to ensure that Ontario's
employment legislation recognizes the needs of temporary employees and
staffing firms that employ them in a fair and balanced way. ACSESS member
firms are already committed to upholding a code of ethics and standards that
was designed to protect the interests of candidates, temporary workers and
client organizations, and which calls for strict adherence to all applicable
human rights, employment laws and regulations.
    "We are pleased that the government fully understands the issues of our
industry and is eager to work with us to make further improvements in
legislation," added Jones.

    ACSESS is the single voice for promoting best industry practices for the
recruitment, employment and staffing services industry in Canada and supports
advancement of the staffing industry through professional training and
certification programs, leading to a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC)
designation. It monitors trends and provides input to federal and provincial
governments on employment legislation and regulations. ACSESS members are
committed to helping businesses respond to the changing marketplace and to
offering a broad range of employment opportunities and services to their
clients. For more information, visit: www.acsess.org.

For further information: Mary McIninch, Director of Government
Relations, Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services
Association, [phone], [phone], [e-mail]