It was so sad when a van full of migrant workers was in a collision last week, killing ten aboard that vehicle, as well as the driver of the truck which hit them. Police tell us that the van driver was at fault but what really matters is that eleven people are dead.
Someone who works for the rights of seasonal workers wondered if one of the reasons for the accident was driver fatigue. He pointed out that often these workers put in long hours doing back-breaking work that most of us wouldn't consider. The situation has raised the profile of the people we import from other countries to do these sorts of jobs. There are more than 18,000 of them in Ontario every year. While there are regulations, the bar is not set very high and they are not well enforced.
When our mens' group visited a juice bottling plant in Bowmanville before Christmas I asked about conditions for the migrant workers who pick fruit for the company. I already knew some of the answers because the family who owns the orchards and plant are in the congregation. It is important to them that their workers have fair conditions and we were told in some detail what happens during the six months they live in Canada as well as life back home.
What was a little sobering when I heard about the accident last week was that the local workers are allowed to come and go on their free time using company vehicles. We see them at the bank and the big box stores and it good that they aren't treated like slaves.
We should remember that these are people with families who are making huge sacrifices to provide for their loved ones. They deserve to be treated fairly as they do the work that most of wouldn't wish for our children or grandchildren, let alone ourselves.
Comments?
4 comments:
It's a terrible situation whose only silver lining is that it's raised the profile of the kinds of issues you outline.
It's a terrible thing that happened, and it's not the first time.
A problem we have as a society is our own wealth. The need for migrant workers is on the increase mostly because our local work force often will put in a day or too, then decide this work is too hard for the money.
For most migrant workers this is a walk in the park compared to working where they come from.
A sobering moment for me was with my own kids. I cut some wood, and get the kids to help. I've been told on a number of occasions that I don't pay enough for the work they do. I am of the opposite opinion most days. My young ones don't have a basis of comparison yet, and I already know they are in for an awakening in the not so distant future.
That was a very tragic and sad accident. I feel for the families of those workers, as well as the family of truck driver.
It's really too bad that our intersections were built the way they were. If we had roundabouts instead of intersections with stop signs, you would have very few, if any, t-bone crashes. Any accidents that happen in roundabouts tend to be at less dangerous angles.
Not treated like slaves? Of course these men and women have to deposit their money in to banks and shop for groceries and small items to send and carry back home.
Did you know that most of these Ontario farms don't give days off? One farm in particular in Delhi Ontario only allows their workers one or two days off over a six month period.
Just because we may see these men and women with smiles on their faces in a bank or big box store, does not mean that they are not treated like slaves.
Why don't you visit a few farms where they live in bunk houses and have little to no hot water to bathe when they come home from working in the fields for 14 hours a day?
I am not attacking your opinion but please dig a little deeper before you say they are not slaves.... This is modern day slavery at it's finest.
Post a Comment