JAMAICA | Defend our overseas Farm-workers PNP Urges government

KINGSTON, Jamaica: September 1, 2022 - People’s National Party Spokesperson on Labour and Social Security, Dr. Angela Brown Burke, is recommending that the Government engages a special investigative team that has the necessary skills and training to embark on a fact finding mission in relation to the conditions facing Jamaicans on the Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Programme (SAWP) in Canada.

In a statement today, the PNP said it was outraged at the gross, degrading and inhumane treatment that Jamaicans have been enduring on the Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Programme (SAWP) in Canada and calls on the Minister of Labour and Social Security to act in accordance with his portfolio or resign.

Dr. Brown Burke, said “in August 2022, Jamaican farm workers in Canada wrote to the Government in an open letter,  outlining the “slave-like conditions” under which they are forced to work and have presented videos and voice notes depicting those conditions.” 

This, she said, “comes on the heels of a landmark case, where the Court awarded compensation to other farm workers for the abuse of their rights by their employers and the Canadian Police.”

“The Party notes that the Minister of Labour and Social Security, the Honourable Karl Samuda recently went on a tour of some of the farms in Canada, yet did not find anything that jumped out at him in terms of ill-treatment, and would like to remind the Government that this is not unusual in those circumstances,” Dr. Brown Burke said. 

“We are not certain what the Minister expected to find on his cursory and official visit…but the cavalier statements made by Minister Samuda were insensitive and disrespectful to the Jamaican farm workers in Canada. The PNP is extremely disappointed by the Minister’s approach and notes with disdain the silence of the Prime Minister on the matter.

The Opposition Spokesperson said, “We expect the Jamaican Government to stand in defence of its workers at home and abroad. The least that is required under the circumstances, is a proper investigation of the allegations”. She added, “At this point, it is clear that the interest of our workers is of no importance to the Minister who has always operated with indisposition towards the office which he holds. If Minister Samuda is unwilling to act in the best interest of our citizens, he should resign”, said Dr. Brown Burke.

Dr. Brown Burke expressed, “The workers’ pleas are totally understandable. They seek reasonable protection, acceptable working and living conditions, a safe and secure mechanism to report issues, assurance of independent investigations and a pathway to citizenship as a way of protecting their rights as workers”.

She noted further that while it is important to maintain good bilateral relationships, it is equally as important for us to protect our citizens and ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect.  The Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Programme has allowed many Jamaicans to improve their quality of life since its inception. However, the arrangements now prevailing under the programme are less than desirable. “As a result, the liaison service which was introduced to  protect our workers from abuse, no longer enjoys the confidence of the workers”, said Dr. Brown Burke.

The People’s National Party is therefore calling on the Prime Minister to replace the Minister Karl Samuda, launch an immediate investigation and begin discussions with the Canadian Authorities to guarantee the minimum acceptable working conditions and rights for our farm workers.

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