Community and Workers Rights Organizations Demand Fairness for Presteve Food Workers: Migrant Workers Deserve to be treated with Respect and Dignity:

August 15, 2008

(Wheatley, Ontario) –In one of the first votes of its kind in Canadian history, workers’ rights organization Justicia for Migrant Workers is demanding that Presteve Foods stop intimidating its migrant workers. Stemming from a history of labour violations, Presteve Foods is now in a process of undermining workers’ rights to democratic representation. The employer has been interfering in a decertification process encouraging its migrant workers to decertify from the workplace's union, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW). The vote is scheduled for Friday August 15, 2008. This employer has acted in bad faith by continually violating and exploiting the migrant workforce employed under the auspices of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
In order to raise awareness around the significance of this vote, Justicia for Migrant Workers, is engaging in an education campaign so migrant workers employed at Presteve Foods know their rights in belonging to a union. J4MW believes that this campaign is critical in supporting the voice of migrant workers who have experienced numerous human and labour rights violations at this workplace. Over the last two years, migrant workers have been subjected to numerous human rights violations, including the following: differential pay between migrant and non migrant workers, denial of overtime pay for overtime work, non-recognition of union membership, neglect of workplace health and safety and workers compensation law, the confiscation of foreign passports, and a high level of intimidation by the employer.

Coupled with these violations, the expansion of employer driven programs such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has exacerbated these violations. The TFWP denies the workers the freedom to change employers or to work in industries other than those specified under their work permits; nor do these migrants normally have the ability to gain permanent residency status, thus limiting their social mobility in Canada. Instead, they must leave Canada after a maximum of two years working here and reapply for another temporary work permit. Recently the Federal Government announced an expansion of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and an accompanying pathway to immigration program for skilled workers under the auspices of the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

"While there has been numerous accolades given to the introduction of the new Canadian Experience Class, which enables some high skilled workers to fast track to permanent residency, we are demanding that the Federal Government cease the expansion of employer driven programs and the two tiered immigration system that denies permanent residency to tens of thousands of so-called low skilled migrant workers" says Chris Ramsaroop national organizer for J4MW.

Migrant workers employed under the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training (Formerly the Low Skilled Temporary Foreign Worker Program), the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) and the Live in Care Giver Program (LCP) do not qualify for the Canadian Economic Class and have historically been denied basic human rights that are accorded to permanent residents in Canada. Ramsaroop argues that "employers such as Presteve Foods thrive in an economic environment that is permissive of precarious immigration and labour standards. We hold not only this employer accountable for the numerous human rights violations that have already occurred, but also the Federal Government which has done nothing to address the exploitative conditions that exists through this system of indentureship".

Irrespective of the results of this vote, J4MW will work with its coalition partners to address workplace injustices at Presteve Foods and also work with labour and immigration advocacy groups to demand government intervention into both this clear disregard for the human rights of these particular migrant workers and also to address larger legislative policies and practices that relegate migrant workers to be employed under exploitative conditions.

For further information please contact J4MW Media Liaison: Justin Goldenthal (416)731-5528 or e-mail Justin@ckln.fm or Chris Ramsaroop 647 834-4932 chrisramsaroop@gmail.com