THE FUTURE OF the Canadian Farm Labour Programme in Barbados hinges on the attitudes and work ethic of the participants.
People interested in participating in the programme this year were told it was attracting more attention from countries both within and outside the Caribbean so if Barbadians wanted to keep themselves as viable choices, they had to make an excellent impression.
“The onus is on you, you have to perform. Mexican workers are prepared to work seven days a week, 12 hours a day if the opportunity presents itself while we have some Barbadian workers only want to work four and a half days because they want to finish early on Fridays and don’t want to work on weekends. All I’m asking is for Barbadians to understand it’s a work first policy and socialisation afterwards,” said liaison officer James Inniss.
He was speaking recently at the programme’s review meeting at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St Michael.
Inniss said the programme went “relatively” well last year but highlighted some complaints which he said had to be addressed, such as: tardiness, taking too much time for lunch and other breaks, sleeping off the farm and returning a few hours before work, not keeping the bunks clean, and using the appliances unwisely.
He also praised the 14 workers who went to Alberta last year to work in a greenhouse, saying they had done such an excellent job, 12 of them had been asked to return along with an additional 14, with the possibility of even more should it continue to go well.
In his report, Inniss said two people had taken seriously ill last year. He said one man had open brain surgery and made a remarkable recovery but the other man passed away.
“If an injury occurs on the job, immediately notify your supervisor or the liaison office. Outside of work, most injuries are covered by insurance but it is important all of you complete the medical process before you leave Barbados,” he said.
Minister of Labour, Senator Dr Esther Byer said changes had been proposed to the programme, including a possible name change, but these were still to be presented to Cabinet.
In addition, she said low numbers were a concern for Government but they had been picking up. She said there were 173 participants in the programme in 2012; 137 in 2013; 158 in 2014 and for this year so far, 13 people had participated.
In terms of economic benefits, Byer said the programme had raised more than BDS$25 million in remittances since it started, with more than BDS$4 million to the NIS and for the financial year so far BDS$1 million in remittances had been received by the home savings section of the ministry. (CA)
