Ministry of Labour & Social Security Investigates Claim of Victimization
Communication Unit
1F North Street, Kingston
Tel: (876) 967-5484
Fax: (876) 948-2831
Friday, August 18, 2023
Ministry of Labour & Social Security Investigates Claim of Victimization
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security reiterates that we consider all complaints from farm workers seriously and that we have taken particular note of the publication in the Jamaica Observer referencing allegations of victimization against farm workers. We are unable to substantiate the allegations as publicised by the Jamaica Observer and have received no formal complaint from the workers. Nevertheless, due to the serious nature of the allegations we have invited the workers to a meeting today to hear from them directly as we continue to investigate this matter.
Our preliminary investigations thus far have revealed the following:
1. For the farm in issue there has been a notable fallout in production yield from the early cycle crops – asparagus and strawberry
2. Based on changes in climatic conditions the Spring Frost impacted the crop production, causing a decline in projected crop yields.
3. Early cessation of employment is a common occurrence based on circumstances affecting crop production as is observed on several farms in Canada
4. Environmental factors – Climate Change
5. Several farm workers who were a party to the incident earlier in July are still on the job in Canada.
The Ministry will investigate this matter thoroughly and communicate our findings.
Contact: Marcia Bolt Williams, Dir. Public Relations & Communication (876) 298-7025 or (876) 967-5484
|Email: : marcia.williams@mlss.gov.jm/ prunit@mlss.gov.jm
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