$16.75/hour...Not The Case For Many Abbotsford Farm Workers

After reading "The 1.8B Agri Engine" posted in the Abbotsford News on June 18, you may feel like giving Abbotsford farm owners and employers a pat on the back. But before you do, look closer...the numbers just don't seem to add up.

Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce stated that the average hourly wage for farm workers is $16.75/hour. But if you're familiar with the Abbotsford Agricultural Industry you would know that this wage is far from what many workers, especially migrant workers, earn.

The transition for migrant workers coming to BC for work is not simple. Some of the barriers they face are health and safety issues (especially if they encounter an accident at work), housing issues, improper washing facilities, lack of knowledge of their rights, and a language barrier. Despite these limitations, migrant workers' largest concern is whether they will be able to return the following year to work, and this of course, is determined by their employer.

UFCW has set up migrant workers support centres across Canada including one in Abbotsford. The descriptions we routinely hear come from a distinctly exploited group of migrant farmworkers.

Where UFCW represents migrant workers, wages and working conditions are improved considerately and yet are still no where near the Chamber of Commerce's $16.75/hour.

The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce's report is misleading. It is misleading in that it suggests all farmworkers earn a decent wage. The reality today is that most Abbotsford migrant farmworkers are stuck earning the minimum wage, and they do so with working conditions that Canadian workers simply wouldn't put up with.