Labour Minister visiting Canadian farms amid complaints by Jamaican workers

By Kimone Witter    

 

Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. is on a visit to farms in Canada amid complaints by some Jamaican workers about unsatisfactory working conditions and inhumane treatment under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Programme.

 

A fact-finding mission headed by trade unionist Helene Davis Whyte, while admitting that there needs to be changes, reported that it did not find evidence to support the claims made about inhumane treatment during its visit last year.

 

However, the complaints from workers have persisted and Mr. Charles said the aim of his visit is to, among other things, get a first-hand account of their welfare. 

 

"We're here to speak to our farm workers, we're here to observe the operations, we're here to speak to the employers, we're here to meet the officials from Canada - all with the perspective of having the consistent better understanding of what's taking place and to make sure that we are playing our part as a country in ensuring that the programme is offering the best opportunity to our farm workers and that it is offering the best kind of support that it can to the employers and ultimately to maintain the integrity of the agreement that we've had between Jamaica and Canada for more than 50 years," Mr. Charles said.  

 

He suggested that any premature announcement of his visit to the farms would not compromise the information to be gathered. 

 

"I receive reports on a monthly basis of the reality of what's taking place. What we are here to treat with is the perceptions," he said Tuesday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.

 

"You're talking about farms that are thousand, two thousand acres. The reality is that we have liaison officers and a structured system of persons who are here throughout the period. I mean, it's not just a matter of me coming first-hand, swooping down like Superman and looking on every aspect of it," he argued.

 

He noted that the tour of Canadian farms by a Ministry of Labour team is not unusual as this is done annually to maintain cordial relationships.