BC farm labour crackdown

Posted by Sapan Behar

June 15, 2007

The attention being paid towards the vehicles used by contractors to transport farm workers is understandable and long overdue. However, would this solve the root cause of the problem? Is it enough to step up enforcement for a month or two during the peak berry season and then hope that the problem goes away?

Some of the inspectors from the CVSE think so. According to them, there was a similar issue with the dump truck industry and when they focussed their attention to that industry, the problems started to disappear. But at what cost? Is it fair to say that when they were focusing on that one industry, there was no one watching the farm labour contractors? Then, are they not somewhat at fault for the current situation?

A crackdown on farm labour contractors may or may not be successful at improving the conditions of the vehicles used. It surely will hurt the local blueberry industry. It is the local blueberry farmer that stands to suffer the most. The contractors simply won’t get paid if they can’t deliver the labour and at worst may have to get their vehicles up to standard. The farm workers won’t get paid if they can’t get to work. But who picks the berries then? It is the farmer that stands to lose the most. However, no one seems to acknowledge or wants to acknowledge this.

BC is one of the largest producers of fresh blueberries in the world. The crop is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the provincial economy. However, the farmers have no say in the current situation. Even worse, the general public seems to see the farmers and the contractors as one. The fact is, if there is one group that the contractors hold hostage year after year, it’s the farmers. Think about it. A worker doesn’t get paid on time, he can simply choose to start working with another contractor and then file a claim with Employment Standards Branch for the wages owed by the contractor. On the other hand, if a farmer refuses to play by their contractor’s rules, the contractor simply refuses to provide any labour. With the shortage in labour, the contractor has no problem in finding work for his or her employees. The farmer is stuck with ripe berries and no one to pick. That is the farmers entire year’s income on the line. Do you know of anyone that would put their entire year’s income in jeopardy? Still think that the farmers and the contractors are one and the same?

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