Followers

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Campaigns - Guatemalan migrants

If this is the kind of contract Guatemalan migrant workers are asked to sign then there is a big problem in Canada because this sounds like slavery all over again.  It is obviously a human rights violation.  What are they saying that Canadians are cleaner that these people, or more human.  Many immigrants might have something to say about the way Canadians live with their dogs and cats which sleep on their beds, live in their houses and carry around dog and cat hairs with them all over the place, yet no one ever question the cleanliness of Canadians but they do so to people who are different who come here to earn honest money to raise their children and feed their families, not be dehumanized and looked down upon.  These are people not animals  - it seems as if our values are skewed to give higher regard for animals than human beings. This is wrong and should not be a part of any contract that a human being has to sign:

Before they’re allowed to make our food, Guatemalan migrant workers have to sign a contract that orders them to:

“During your stay in Canada, you should only do the activities you are assigned to and should not distract yourself with any group or association”

“Reasons to exclude you from the program that will force you to pay your plane ticket: alcoholism, theft, lack of respect and sexual relations”

“Upon arrival at the farm, the employer will keep your passport for the duration of your stay in Canada”

“Use deodorant before the flight and every day you stay in Canada”

“Beware of having relations with women”

“In case you needed to go back to Guatemala before ending your contract, you will have to prove that you have a good reason. Even then, the employer can choose whether to hire you the next season”

“You should keep your hair short to avoid lice”
The dehumanizing terms of this contract were drafted by the Canadian agri-business employer group FERME and – more shockingly – the International Organization for Migration – an intergovernmental agency dedicated to “promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all.”  Check out this link

Campaigns - Guatemalan migrants

No comments: