The 2018 agricultural season of Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) between Mexico and Canada, has begun with the arrival, during the first months of the year, of 1,391 Mexican workers to the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.
Our co-nationals will be working in farms dedicated to the harvesting of fruit, vegetables, and greenhouses, for an average period of 8 months, depending on their respective labor contracts.
For 43 years, the SAWP has sought, on the one hand, to take advantage of temporary migration as a force for growth and development and, on the other, to guarantee the protection of migrant workers, particularly in terms of social security and respect for the rights of migrant workers. labor
The SAWP is a three-way agreement between two governments, workers and employers seek to satisfy the agricultural labor demand in the short term and provide sustainability to the Canadian agricultural sector in the long term.
In 2017, a record of 25,344 Mexican workers participated, of which 11,219 came to Ontario and 456 to Manitoba, working in 843 farms. From 1974 to 2016, 326,525 Mexican migrant workers participated in this program.
The Consulate General in Toronto is in constant contact with local authorities and the farmer’s association to monitor the arrival of workers and to resolve any problems that may arise during their reception and stay.
Likewise, the Consulate in Toronto supports the workers in a wide variety of procedures, mainly related to the recovery of salaries, obtaining compensations, payment of pensions, preparation of periodic reports, reimbursement of medical expenses, other issues derivatives of protection cases.
In addition, periodic visits and complaints are made to work centers and hospitals, as well as various efforts to achieve a better understanding and mutual respect between employers and workers.
The SAWP staff at the Consulate receives and attends a large number of inquiries through the toll-free telephone line (1-888-351-2690), as well as after office hours, weekends and holidays through the Center for Information and Assistance to Mexicans (CIAM) 1-855-463-6395.