请别指责华人餐馆老板

最近公布的一份报告显示，华人餐馆员工在工作场所一直饱受虐待和盘剥，他们的时薪低于最低工资标准，也拿不到应得的加班费和假日工资。此外，大多数华人餐馆员工所享有法定权益也被剥夺。

A recently released report has found that Chinese restaurant workers are being abused and exploited in the workplace. They make less than minimum wage and are deprived of overtime and vacation pay. The majority of workers were also cheated out of their statutory entitlements.

 

这种华人餐馆员工受盘剥的现象似乎已成普遍之势。报告显示，大约有43%受访员工时薪低于最低工资标准，有逾半受访员工每周工作时间超过40小时，但其中只有11%能拿到加班费。

The problems seem to be widespread. According to the report, some 43% of workers surveyed earned less than minimum wage, and over half of them work over 40 hours a week, but only 11% say they’ve received overtime pay.

 

据华裔社区法律援助中心负责人Avvy Go称，职场虐待现象早已是老生常谈，盘剥现象已存在长达30多年之久，而她所在的法援中心常常需要应对因就业权益问题而引发的同类投诉。

According to Avvy Go, director of a legal clinic in the Chinese community, the workplace abuse has been persistent and the problem has existed for over 30 years, leaving her clinic dealing with repeated complaints over the same issues of employment rights. 

 

Go在接受《多伦多星报》采访时称：“不幸的是，在过去30年里这种状况丝毫没有改变。”

 “Unfortunately, nothing has changed in the last 30 years,” Go told the Star in an interview.

 

从表面上看，该报告淋漓尽致地揭露了雇主盘剥华裔餐馆员工的现象：华人餐馆老板克扣员工工资和加班费，强迫员工在节假日工作但却不提供任何补偿，其行为违反了安省劳工法规，并侵犯了员工权益。

On the surface, the report has painted a perfect picture of employers ripping-off Chinese restaurant workers. The employers – Chinese restaurant owners – steal from workers’ salaries and overtime pay, forcing them to work through vacations without compensating them. Their practices are violating Ontario’s labour laws and workers’ right.

 

但实际上，而在低价恶性竞争的华人社区，餐馆业的市场环境恶劣，竞争对手丛生，华社餐馆非常难求生存。

But a restaurant in the Chinese community -- where low cost competition runs rampant-- is very difficult to survive. These restaurants constantly face tough marketing conditions and intense competition from thousands of other restaurant rivals. 

 

众所周知，华社餐馆的价格远远低于主流社区的餐馆。为了吸引顾客，华社餐馆被迫提供极具竞争力的价格，而由此导致的结果就是餐馆收入逐渐被蚕食，利润空间愈来愈微薄。更为加雪上加霜的是，由于加币近年来持续下跌导致食品价格飞涨，华社餐馆的生存之路则变得更加步履维艰。

It is well recognized that prices at Chinese restaurants are much cheaper than their mainstream counterparts. Chinese restaurants are forced to offer competitive prices to keep their business afloat, and as a result, their revenues are eaten away and profit margins are razor thin. Adding to the problem is the food price hike due to the plunging loonie in recent years, which poses a serious threat to their business survival.

 

一般来说，经营餐馆很难赚大钱，在加国能靠开餐馆能成为巨富者寥寥可数，更不用说华人餐馆老板了。即便餐馆每年营业额达到$100万元，餐馆老板的年收入可能也只有$2.5万元至$4万元。如果想要多赚一点，餐馆老板就必须身兼多职，亲自接手厨师或服务员等工作。

Generally speaking, restaurant owners don’t make much, and few people get rich by owning a restaurant in Canada, let alone in the Chinese community. Restaurants that ring up $1million in sales might offer the owner only $25,000 to $40,000 in an annual salary.  To make a little more than that, owners must wear multiple hats, taking over the jobs of the employees such as chefs and waiters. 

 

与主流社区餐馆老板相比，许多华人餐馆老板的收入少得可怜。在身处困境之时，他们必须先确保员工收入，有些人甚至一分工资都不拿。很显然，华人餐馆老板这点可怜的收入与常常通过裁员维持高盈利的加国公司大佬们的惊人高薪相比则少的可怜。

Many Chinese restaurant owners make much less than their mainstream counterparts. During very difficult times, they must put themselves at the bottoms of the payees list, with some even resisting taking any salary home. Apparently, their trivial salaries are only a mere fraction of the excessive pay of CEOs of corporate Canada, who frequently lay off employees to maintain high profits. 

 

但是，虽面临着巨大的经营和财务压力，这些勤勉的华人餐馆老板仍在竭力为顾客提供价廉味美的中国菜肴。他们为加国创造了就业机会，为政府贡献了税收。对许多华人餐馆老板来说，他们显然是无力按照支付政府连续上调的最低工资标准支付员工工资的。强迫他们提高华裔餐馆员工工资会迫使他们彻底关门歇业，而这会导致许多员工失业，损害加国经济增长。

And yet these diligent restaurant owners who are working to the bone to deliver quality Chinese cuisine at low prices while under tremendous business and financial pressure. They have created job opportunities for the economy and generated tax revenues for the government.  Apparently, it is extremely difficult for many of them to afford paying employees the minimum wage that has been repeatedly raised by the government. Demanding Chinese restaurant owners to raise employees’ salary may force them to abandon the business altogether, leaving workers out of jobs and damaging the growth of the economy. 

 

因此，人们不应该再一味指责这些身处困境的华人餐馆老板们。实际上，如果你真对华裔餐馆员工们的低工资不满的话，那就谴责包括你我在内的，那些一心贪图便宜而到价廉物美的华人餐馆揩油的食客们吧！

As such, stop pointing fingers at the poor Chinese restaurant owners.  In fact, if you are concerned about the below-than-average pay of restaurant workers, blame it on the customers who tap into a discount culture and take advantage of the cheap but delicious dishes at the Chinese restaurants –you and I included.