Migrant workers march for better labour protection
Posted October 10, 2010 9:27 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A group representing migrant workers in Ontario are campaigning for labour protection and better working conditions.
“Just for Migrant Workers” is holding a 50 kilometre march, Sunday, from Leamington to Windsor.
People who work in the fields, orchards and greenhouses are participating in the historic march.
Tzana Miranda, the organizer of the rally, said many of the vegetables and fruits served during Thanksgiving have been harvested and processed by these migrants.
“We’re marching on Thanksgiving weekend so that the general Canadian public and politicians can realize that most of the things that will be on their Thanksgiving dinner table, that are grown in Ontario or packed in Ontario, were probably produced with migrant labour. People should know what the conditions are for these workers.”
The group began at 7 a.m. in Leamington, will stop for a rally in Essex just after noon, and they hope to reach Windsor by 7 p.m.
The march has been promoted through Twitter, with updated progress reports.
Migrant workers are an essential part of the economy; however, many work and live in below-standard conditions, without the same labour law protections as other workers, the group said.
