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Canada: Migrants at Fyffes' Highline Mushrooms join United Food and Commercial Workers union in "major step forward"
Approximately 170 migrant workers from Mexico, Guatemala, India and Vietnam working at four mushroom factory farms in British Columbia have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. The move has been called "monumental" given the low levels of organising in the agriculture sector and the first group of workers on a mushroom farm in the region to unionise.
Representatives for UFCW have said they hope the development is an inspiration to others as global food supply chains are increasingly reliant on migrant labour, often hired under temporary, seasonal worker schemes.
The efforts to organize are important. Migrant workers have to be part of the decision making. I just want to ensure that the workers are not going to be tokenized and they are going to have a voice here.Chris Ramsaroop of Justicia for Migrant Workers
This is more evidence that there is a strong desire for migrant food workers to engage their fundamental labour rights and unionize. UFCW Canada is the union for agricultural workers in Canada, and we look forward to working with Highline Mushrooms and other social partners in the sector to advance decent work in the agri-food sector. This also strengthens the Canadian food sector by contributing to a more stable and secure labour market.Shawn Haggerty, UFCW Canada National President