A new way to order food has entered the conversation in BC: virtual ATMs are popping up at Freshii fast food franchise locations across the country.
Instead of having someone there in real life taking your order, it’s live on a screen taking orders from somewhere else.
The idea is getting a bit of a reaction, with a lot of concerns about wages and working conditions. According to Toronto Star reportthese people are earning about US $ 3.75 (about C $ 4.78) per hour, a stark contrast to the C $ 15.65 minimum wage in BC.
When CBC asked a Kamloops, BC ATM about whether or not they were also entitled to tips, a store employee told us that he was paid “separately,” and indicated that virtual ATMs do not receive any tip reduction.
Freshii did not respond to multiple CBC interview requests.
The company began piloting virtual ATMs in its Ontario stores in April.
BC Labor Minister Harry Bains then tweeted that the company could “keep its job outsourcing pilot project away from our province”.
It’s been 40 years since the BC minimum was so low. My message to https://t.co/VC5TbQiXy3
– @HarryBainsSN
But he also said that the government can do nothing to prevent virtual ATMs in BC: our labor laws only protect employees who are physically located in the province.
“I’m really disappointed as Minister of Labor that some companies are using technology to outsource jobs that belong to British Columbia workers,” Bains said.
“It goes against my goal and our government’s goal of having an all-inclusive economy and fair workers’ wages and benefits.”
He points out that other businesses, such as call centers, have been outsourcing workers for years.
But instead of outsourcing jobs to other countries, Bains wants to see companies hire locally so that workers can put their income back into the local economy.
With a shortage of manpower that forces employers to be creative in hiring and retaining staff, this may be easier said than done.
Ross Hickey, an associate professor at UBC Okanagan School of Management, warns British Colombians not to judge new technology at first glance.
“We don’t want to deter companies from trying to innovate,” he said.
“If we have labor laws and regulations and policies that hinder business innovation, we can end up with less labor and more machines.”
He suggests that a company might do so because of the difficulty in finding domestic labor, and virtual ATMs are an alternative to automatic purchasing. Other restaurants such as McDonald’s and IKEA bistros have screens to order food, eliminating the cashier completely.
“That sounds a little better than maybe being fully automatic with your assistance,” Hickey said.
But, he added, anyone who doesn’t like it should protest with his wallet – don’t go there and the business will get the message.
“No one is forcing you to go to these establishments. I think those establishments do [virtual cashiers] they would receive the message fairly quickly if they no longer have customers “.