Farmworkers Union of Alberta calls farm employees most exploited

Eric Musekamp head of the Farmworkers Union of Alberta says he’s not giving up on his fight to gain more rights for the province’s most exploited workers even though he’s getting zero support from the provincial government.

After the 2006 death of Kevan Chandler who died when he was buried by grain in a feedlot silo near High River the provincial government promised to revisit the issue of farm-worker rights and protections. Because Chandler was a farm worker he wasn’t covered by the Worker’s Compensation Board which left his family destitute. His employer also wasn’t required to follow provincial occupational health and safety standards. His wife Lorna has argued that if her husband had had proper safety equipment he wouldn’t have died. The Alberta NDP Liberals and the Alberta Federation of Labour all urged the provincial government to make changes to protect farm workers’ rights after Chandler’s death.

However the provincial government has decided not to make any changes to help farm workers. Lorelei Fiset-Cassidy spokesperson for Employment Immigration and Industry says the government won’t be including the agricultural sector in the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. As for workers’ compensation she says an employer can voluntarily chose to be part of the system but it’s not mandatory. Fiset-Cassidy says the government treats the agricultural industry differently because it’s a “unique industry that requires some flexibility.”

“We take an approach of education in keeping people safe” she says.

The exemptions for agriculture don’t just apply to family farms. All agricultural businesses regardless of size or number of employees are exempt from Workers’ Compensation occupational health and safety regulations and a large chunk of Alberta Employment Standards. For example there are no requirements for employers to pay overtime or holiday pay or minimum wage to farm workers.

In 2006 there were 20 farm fatalities in the province. The Alberta Farm Safety Centre says the agricultural sector has the highest rate of disabling injuries of all Alberta industries and farmers are five times more likely to be killed through occupational-related accidents than workers in all other industries.

Musekamp says if agricultural workers are injured they have no recourse except to sue their employer. “When we get hurt we’ve got welfare AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) a cardboard box — that’s about it” he says. “It’s like it was 100 years ago. You fend for yourself.”

Musekamp argues that the low number of protections and rights that farm workers receive are a violation of workers’ constitutional rights. He says other provinces have made changes to increase the rights of farm workers but Alberta “is by far the dinosaur” and he won’t give up until the province gets with the 21st century.

“This is taking agricultural workers’ rights and selling them to vested interests. They’re doing it for the convenience and financial benefit of a powerful group — the agricultural lobby” he says. “It’s the Rosa Parks back-of-the-bus kind of scenario here our own Canadian version. We are just simply overpowered. We’re outside of the labour code. We’re poor. We’re fractured. We’re voiceless.”

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