Collette Roberts Risden, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour - Gleaner file photo
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Collette Roberts Risden and Kenneth Phillips, Jamaica's Chief Liaison Officer in Canada
The Ministry of Labour is denying claims that participants in the farm work programme are not aware of their destination ahead of being placed on a flight to designated locations overseas.
Collette Roberts Risden, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, responded to the issue Friday on Radio Jamaica's call-in programme, Hotline.
She said information on the destination and employer is provided to farm workers during their processing at the labour ministry.
"They would know where they are going; even if they don't realise it at the application visa time, they know at the time that we're doing the pre-flight processing because workers are processed in batches," she insisted.
"So we may be sending ten workers to farmer 'X'. We process those ten workers together, so you know that these ten workers are going to employer 'X' that is in Ontario," Mrs Roberts Risden explained to Hotline host Emily Shields.
For repeat workers, she said the process would be even more straightforward since they would already "know which employer they are going to and everything".
13 liaison officers
In the meantime, it has been revealed that only 13 liaison officers have been assigned to conduct routine inspections at 655 farms in Canada.
Approximately 10,000 Jamaican workers are employed to farms in that country.
Routine checks are done twice yearly by the liaison officers.
Speaking Friday on the Hotline, Kenneth Phillips, Jamaica's Chief Liaison Officer in Canada, said the ministry has given approval for other liaison officers to be employed.
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