NAUJAWAN SUPPORT NETWORK: LEGAL DEFENCE FUND

Employers are trying to silence us with expensive legal actions.

We will not be silenced. We need your help to fight back.

 

Every month employers steal thousands of dollars of their workers' wages. Members of Naujawan Support Network (NSN) are organizing to put an end to it.

 

Since July 2021, we have recovered over $100,000 of our own wages. We have done this by exposing wage-stealing employers on social media, protesting in front of their homes and businesses, and organizing public rallies to share our stories and build our collective power.

 

In response, employers have filed three lawsuits against NSN members in which they seek millions of dollars in damages for defamation. These lawsuits are an attempt to intimidate workers and stop us from organizing more campaigns.

 

Employers think that by hiring expensive lawyers and taking us to court, they can silence us. We will not be silenced.

 

Our struggle has only just begun and we are committed to it for the long-term. That is why we have set up this legal defence fund — to ensure that no worker has to worry about the costs of hiring a lawyer when we take action for our rights. We are deeply grateful to each and every person willing to support us in this way.

 

Note: The funds raised will only be used to pay for legal expenses related directly to NSN-organized campaigns and for no other purpose.

 

ABOUT NAUJAWAN SUPPORT NETWORK

 

Naujawan Support Network is a group of international students and workers based primarily in Brampton, Ontario. We came together to stop the exploitation and abuse we face from employers, landlords, immigration consultants and the government. People in our community have dealt with these issues for years and are suffering financially, emotionally and psychologically as a result. Many are depressed and some have even died by suicide to escape the pain. We do not want to see any more of our people suffer or die. We organized ourselves into a group for this reason.

 

So far our work has focused on stopping wage theft, though that is not our only aim. We are organizing to end exploitation and abuse of workers in all forms, including ending the sexual harassment faced by so many of our sisters in restaurants, grocery stores, factories and elsewhere. We are fighting for our dignity and self-respect, for our mental health and physical well-being, and for greater collective power in shaping the conditions of our work and lives. By doing this, we are building brighter futures for each other and for our children.

 

You can learn more about NSN on our Instagram page and the following media links:

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naujawansupportnetwork

 

OMNI TV: https://www.omnitv.ca/ab/en/videos/brampton-truckers-protest-outside-employers-home-to-demand-unpaid-wages/

 

Baaz: https://www.baaznews.org/p/international-students-exploitative-employers

 

New Canadian Media: https://newcanadianmedia.ca/international-students-shame-wage-thieves/

OMNI TV: https://www.omnitv.ca/bc/pa/videos/members-of-naujawan-support-network-rallied-in-brampton-on-saturday/

Globe & Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-brampton-young-newcomer-workers-stand-labour-rights/ 

The Toronto Star: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/12/12/inside-brampton-truckers-fight-against-a-billion-dollar-scam.html