KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The local independent fact-finding team appointed to assess Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Programme (SAWP) has found that most Jamaican employees are satisfied with their working and living conditions.
Labor and Social Security Minister Karl Samuda reported on the team’s findings, which traveled to Canada last year, in his Sectoral debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Cabinet had approved the appointment of the team to look into the status of the Jamaicans following reports of substandard conditions on farms where they are engaged.
Minister Samuda noted that over 70 percent of respondents believe that the treatment from their employer was either “good” or “excellent.”
He said the overall assessment of the conditions of the workers was described as good. Still, he noted pockets of poor labor and industrial relations conditions, particularly outside of Ontario.
The majority of Jamaican farm workers are in the province of Ontario.
“I am not saying that the place is perfect by [any] means; I am not saying it’s a perfect situation. But the fact of the matter is when asked specifically if the farm owners treated them with respect, 87.1 percent said yes,” Samuda said.
He told the House that a deep sense of pride and fulfillment was observed among most farm workers.
He informed that 73.7 percent said they willingly worked on their days off to earn more money and not by force, noting that 2.5 percent felt as if they were being forced.
Approximately 93.6 percent of workers said that they do not work when ill, and among those who work during illness, 21 percent said they did so because they feared losing their jobs.
Also, 35 percent of respondents sought health care; of that number, 10.4 percent said they did not receive access to healthcare.
Some of the reasons cited for lack of access include doctors’ non-acceptance of health cards and the exclusion of specific health services from coverage, like tooth extraction.
Regarding transferring workers between farms, Minister Samuda said that 85 percent said they were never relocated during their contract period, and those assigned said that this was due to the completion of work on their previous farms.
Sixty percent said they worked exclusively in the fields, 8.8 percent in greenhouses, and 7.6 percent in packing houses.
The Minister noted that 70 percent of the contracts ranged between five and eight months, but just under 30 percent were on eight-month contracts. “We want to extend more on eight-month contracts, but that depends on the type of crops,” he said.
In terms of living conditions, Samuda said this varied across Canada, noting that most of the workers rated their situation as “good” and “very good.”
“Seventy percent of respondents gave positive reviews of their housing and living conditions, with 30 percent saying they were excellent and 40 percent saying they were perfect. Regarding cooking facilities, 30 percent said excellent, and 48 percent said very good. Regarding bathroom facilities, 24 percent said excellent, and 44.8 percent said good. When asked if the housing facilities were clean upon arrival, 95 percent said yes,” the Minister reported.
Meanwhile, Samuda pointed out there were challenges regarding liaison services.
“Fifty-two percent of the women were dissatisfied and 45 percent of the men, but overall, 55 percent were satisfied,” he noted.
In addition, he said that 74.4 percent were satisfied with the liaison services in Ontario, which had an unfavorable rating of 6.6 percent.
However, 11.3 percent were satisfied in British Columbia, with a 38.7 percent unfavorable rating. “That has to be addressed, and we have already taken steps to deal with that,” the Minister said.
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