Charles Jr enlists MPs help to stem farmworkers running off

Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr is enlisting the help of members of parliament (MPs) in curbing incidents of Jamaican farmworkers absconding on the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Programme (SAWP).

Data provided by the ministry has revealed that Jamaican farmworkers accounted for 90.8 per cent, or 2,597, of participants in the Canadian SAWP who have run off between 2018 and 2022.

Mexico followed Jamaica with 104 persons while 63 farmworkers who absconded during that period were from Trinidad and Tobago. Eastern Caribbean countries accounted for 66 farmworkers and five were from Barbados.

Annually, approximately 10,000 Jamaicans participate in the employment programme that was established 58 years ago.

“It is our responsibility to make sure that, as we recruit, as we guide, as we orient, we ensure that it resonates that if you do this (abscond), you are going to impact your cousin, your friend, your brother, your sister, and others to come,” Charles Jr said.

Charles Jr reiterated that it was primarily younger and newer recruits who were running off when participating in the programme, and noted that loopholes in the host country regulations often accommodate this type of action.

He was speaking yesterday during a sensitisation session on the overseas employment programme for MPs, held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston. The majority of MPs were present or sent representatives in their stead.

The minister outlined that farmworkers abandoning the programme upon arrival in the country has serious implications for Jamaica’s continued participation, which he said can include host countries looking to alternatives for recruitment.

He noted that, during his recent tour of participating farms, this was the main concern shared by employers.

“The primary complaints that the employers had is concerns about the workers coming and then … gone. And I’m talking about getting out of the plane and not even reaching the farm, talking about being on the farm for one week, two weeks and then gone, the reality is that we have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A query from George Wright, independent MP for Westmoreland Central, about whether employers under the SAWP could confiscate farmworkers’ passports upon arrival to prevent them from running off, was quickly shut down by Charles Jr, who pointed out that this was against the law of all countries involved.

“The better process which is within the law is what we’re doing now which is management through communication, raising awareness, and making the legal framework address the loopholes that allow somebody to go off (which then) affects an employer, affects their colleagues,” he said.

Lack of communication

Meanwhile, Julian Robinson, MP for St Andrew South Eastern, raised concerns about the lack of communication with MPs when issues arise involving persons they recommended for the programme.

“The ministry should communicate to us to indicate whether two or three of the people who we recommended went AWOL or if there are particular issues with the people who we recommended, then it’s important that we know so we talk to the family, we can talk to the people in the community,” he said.

“We’re trying to bring them on to assist with the consistent analysis of the programme so that whenever there is an issue that’s brought to our attention, not just AWOL, but for instance a worker injured or whatever it is, you don’t see it in the news before you are contacted,” Charles Jr replied.

Sharing that his ministry has noted “various incidents where the conduct of some of our workers has such a deleterious impact on how an employer thinks about our programme and our participation”.

Charles Jr said discussion has commenced regarding a memorandum of understanding with the HEART NSTA/Trust for employment readiness training for all workers upon preselection to the programme.

Going forward, he said there will be continuous assessment of workers during the period of employment by liaison workers, and exit surveys that will be completed by the employer at the end of the contractual period.

Following allegations of mistreatment amounting to slave-like working conditions, a finding team was commissioned in September 2022 to investigate the Canadian SAWP. Since then, the minister said a number of recommendations have been implemented including the deployment of more liaison officers.

The ministry, he said, will also institute a recognition and rewards programme to publicly reward workers, and members of staff who have contributed to the development of the programme.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com