J4MW: Supreme court failed migrant farmworkers

April 29, 2011, 5:40 pm (EST)

(Toronto): In the face of the utter contempt by Canada’s highest court, Justicia for Migrant Workers (J4MW) reaffirms its commitment to the struggle for migrant justice in Canada. Today, the Supreme Court failed to address issues raised by Justicia for Migrant Workers relating to agricultural worker self-determination, to ongoing racism in Canadian society and to the inherently exclusionary impact of Canada’s immigration laws. The Court’s ruling in Fraser reinforces the hyper-exploitative and apartheid-like conditions faced by hundreds of thousands of migrant workers across Canada.

 While the recent decision reflects an ongoing unwillingness in this country to deal with its racist past and present, migrant worker organizing will not be deterred.  J4MW will continue to work with migrant workers to take matters into their own hands to assert their dignity and to assert control over their everyday lives.  

 ”Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs are based on our country’s ongoing legacy of slavery and indentureship” says Adrian Smith, an organizer with Justicia for Migrant Workers. “Canada’s immigration and labour laws systemically deny migrant workers to exert their rights through the traditional legal framework. Workers will take action into their own hands irrespective of what the courts say. We do not need to the Supreme Court to tell us these schemes are racist.  We have history on our side” continues Smith.

Justicia for Migrant Workers continues to demand…

·         Status upon arrival for all temporary foreign workers

·         The elimination of placement and recruitment fees for all migrant workers

·         An appeals mechanism against deportation/ repatriations

·         Reform labour laws to provide better coverage for all TFWP workers

·         Provide migrants equal access to all social entitlements, including EI, CPP, welfare and health care

Contact:  Adrian Smith, 416-505-3232; Evelyn Encalada, 416-707-4357 or Chris Ramsaroop, 647-834-4932   

j4mw.on@gmail.com
http://justicia4migrantworkers.org/
Fax 1 (877) 798-6777

j4mw press release: Supreme Court failed migrant farmworkers – Justice for Migrant Workers

Rights of Ontario farm workers abandoned by Supreme Court

Decision by Supreme Court denies Ontario farm workers right to effective collective bargaining

OTTAWA – April 29, 2011 – The Supreme Court of Canada has sided with the Ontario government to deny Ontario farm workers the same rights to join unions to bargain collectively as other workers in Ontario. The decision by the highest court in the land is the latest chapter in a decades-long battle to provide statutory labour rights protection and collective bargaining for Ontario’s 80,000 domestic and migrant agriculture workers.

Rights of Ontario farm workers abandoned by Supreme Court || UFCW Canada – Canada’s Largest Private Sector Union

Pas de syndicalisation pour les travailleurs agricoles

Ontario : Pas de syndicalisation pour les travailleurs agricoles | Ontario | Radio-Canada.ca

Farm workers have no right to unionize, top court rules

The Supreme Court of Canada dealt a harsh blow to the union movement today, ruling in favour of an Ontario law that restricts the right of farm workers to bargain collectively.

The Court said that the constitutional right to free association guarantees that “meaningful” negotiations take place between workers and their employers – but it is not intended to police the mechanics of how those negotiations take place.

Farm workers have no right to unionize, top court rules – The Globe and Mail

Migrant Workers in Canada Suffer From Poor Health

Two new research papers have revealed that migrants working in Canada often develop health problems as a result of their grueling jobs, and unfit housing.
The papers say that migrants from Mexico, Jamaica, the Philippines and other countries are not given proper safety training and often live in hot, cramped quarters. Some don’t even have access to clean water, causing health issues, such as persistent back pain, eye and skin disorders, and mental health problems.

Migrant Workers in Canada Suffer From Poor Health – Hispanically Speaking News

Migrant workers have inadequate health care in Canada, studies show

Migrant workers have inadequate health care in Canada, studies show

Journal de Québec: Travailleur guatémaltèque tué

MONTMAGNY | Un travailleur étranger du Guatemala a péri hier à la suite du violent capotage d’une fourgonnette qui transportait huit employés saisonniers, sur l’autoroute 20, près de Montmagny.

Journal de Québec – Actualités – Travailleur guatémaltèque tué