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TSSU Solidarity Statement

The Understanding Precarity in BC (UP-BC) Partnership stands in solidarity with TSSU members and academic workers at Simon Fraser University as they continue their strike for a fair contract. UP-BC is a research partnership involving community-based and service providing organizations, unions, and academics, which includes Research Assistants who are TSSU members.

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Delivery driver on a motorized scooter alongside the words "SHOULDN'T EVERY JOB BE A GOOD JOB?"

Half of BC workers lack access to “standard jobs” and 37% are in precarious employment, groundbreaking survey finds

A study released today by the Understanding Precarity in BC partnership reveals a polarized labour market in which precarious work is far more pervasive than many assume and includes much more than “gig work.”

The pilot BC Precarity Survey is the first of its kind in BC, providing new evidence on the scale and unequal impacts of precarious work. The survey was conducted in late 2019 and completed by over 3,000 workers aged 25 to 65, providing a unique snapshot of the provincial labour market just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

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Worker at a cafe passing a paper a take out order, a paper bag and a coffee cup, over a counter.

Major partnership receives funding to study how British Columbians are impacted by precarity, develop solutions for post-COVID era

(Vancouver) A six-year initiative to study the impacts of precarious work on the lives of British Columbians kicks off today, with the announcement of a $2.5 million Partnership Grant awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Understanding Precarity in BC (UP-BC) is jointly led by Kendra Strauss, Director of SFU’s Labour Studies Program and the Morgan Centre for Labour Research, and Iglika Ivanova, Senior Economist and and Public Interest Researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ BC Office (CCPA-BC).

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