Détails du document

2009-01-21

Agriculture Workers Alliance

AWA E-News

Agriculture Workers Alliance

A huge “victory for farm workers” was realized in Alberta January 21, 2009, after Judge Peter Barley made the recommendation that Alberta farm employees be covered under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act in a report due out Tuesday January 27, 2009.

Barley also recommends the provincial department of agriculture create training programs to “address ways to minimize the risk of hazardous activities,” reported The Calgary Herald.

Alberta and Nova Scotia are the only two remaining provinces that exclude farm workers from occupational health and safety legislation.

We are happy to report that due to the increased need by farm workers in the province of British Columbia; a new Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA) centre will be opening in May in the Surrey area. Details will come soon.

All nine centres should be open in the first week of May. Just as last year, we expect our centres’ staff will be very busy again this year.

As we start the New Year, our legal department is busy with upcoming legal challenges and labour relations boards hearings in Quebec, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.

In Quebec, labour relations board hearings will be held at the end of this month and early next month to continue the certification of several farms in that province. The legal proceedings have taken months and we are optimistic that the farms where workers have exercised the right to unionize will soon be certified and get contracts.

The AWA in British Columbia will also be busy preparing for the upcoming legal challenge brought forward by the British Columbia Agriculture Council (BCAC) and the Western Agriculture Labour Initiative (WALI) to the labour relations board. BCAC and WALI have challenged that the Labour Relations Code cannot constitutionally apply to the foreign nationals working in British Columbia under the Seasonal Agriculture Workers Program.

That’s just not right, says Ivan Limpright, president of UFCW Canada Local 1518. The Labour Relations Code – alongwith Employment Standards and Workers Compensation – are there for every person working in British Columbia.

We would like to invite you or people you might know to be part of our team. The AWA is an equal opportunity employer and our organization offers job opportunities nation wide. If you are interested to work for one of our local centres, are proficient in another language besides English, and have a valid driver’s license,
please visit our web page:

http://awa-ata.ca/en/get-in-touch-join-awa/contact-us-stay-in-touch/
and fill the appropriate contact information from the “Contact Us” list and email your résumé to be considered for employment. We review all job applications. However, only the applicants most suited for the position will be contacted.

Our centres are always in need of good people to volunteer. If you have the ability to teach English or French; if you have a background in health and safety issues, worker compensation, or even a talent to create social activities, we would love to hear from you. Just follow the same link above and we will be happy to connect you to the nearest AWA centre.

• 
  Agriculture Workers Alliance Campaign Updates and News Vol 2(4) (http://awa-ata.ca/en/media/e-news-2009/news-vol-2-issue-4/)
  

Agriculture and horticulture workers

Policy analysis

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