UFCW Canada Campaign for Mexican Migrant Farm Workers Supported by the CNC

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO--(Marketwire - Aug. 13, 2011) - Gerardo Sanchez, leader of the Confederación Nacional Campesina (CNC, Mexico's largest farm workers union, www.cnc.org.mx) has presented a motion in the Senate demanding the Minister of Labour to inform the Congress about allegations of anti-union activities against migrant farm workers coming to Canada through the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (CSAWP). Mexican media are reacting favorably to the CNC's press release, which started circulating yesterday.

The CNC joined the campaign launched by UFCW Canada this year and is now demanding answers from the Minister of Labour regarding the blacklisting of migrant agriculture workers participating in union activities. The campaign, joined by various Mexican legislators, prominent members of the labour movement, migrant workers and academics, is pushing for greater transparency and accountability of the CSAWP, a temporary agriculture workers program managed by the Canadian federal government.

The CNC is the latest civil society organization to join the campaign for migrant worker justice that is building momentum in Mexico and Canada. The campaign's goal is to make sure that governments in both countries put an end to illegal anti-union practices, and respect the fundamental association rights of workers.

Sanchez has asked for a complete and transparent report regarding the protection given to Mexican farm workers in Canada by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The CNC is also denouncing the lack of workers' representation in the yearly bi-national negotiations.

UFCW Canada is Canada's largest private sector union with more than 250,000 members across the country working primarily in the food industry. In association with the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA), UFCW Canada also operates ten agriculture worker support centres across Canada, and represents agriculture workers at a number of unionized locations in British Columbia and Quebec.