Farm Workers

[Tropicana]

Let's chat bout farm workers. I flew back with about 120 of them. They really put themselves together nicely for the trip.
Why do some opt for farm work? Are they totally unemployed at home? Some work up here for 7 months, planting and reaping. Some just come for reaping. What do you do they do the rest of the year?

Some are able to use this as a stepping stone. I know one man who became a dentist. What percentage are able to use this as a chance to launch better opportunities.

For the ladies, would you ever date a farm worker. I know some of the White women do.

Some seemed a bit depressed. It can't be an easy life. I understand some are not well treated. It must be hard to be away from the spouse and children for so much of the year.

[My Looh]

It's a very hard life, work from sun up tp sun down, very low pay, often exploited and treated VERY badly indeed. Very little in the way of safeguards to report abuses.

All this so you and I can pay 5 cents less for an apple than we would pay if farm workers were paid a living wage by Canadian/U.S. standards.

[Tropicana]

What do they get paid hour or per day? How many hours do they work each day? How many days do they work per week? Do they have to re-pay their airfare? Do they have to pay room and board or is it provided? How do their conditions compare to the sugar cane cutters in the Dominican Republic? Why is the Jamaican government not addressing the poor conditions?

[My Looh]

They make minimum wage in most cases. If an employer likes certain workers he/she may offer them a little above that in order to acquire their services again in the future. Most employers provide basic spartan accomidation for their workers.

Work days are long as it is for any farm operation.

[blugiant]

What do they get paid hour or per day? How many hours do they work each day? How many days do they work per week? Do they have to re-pay their airfare? Do they have to pay room and board or is it provided? How do their conditions compare to the sugar cane cutters in the Dominican Republic? Why is the Jamaican government not addressing the poor conditions?

ja guv ave parasitrikk tendencees ann uh reallee care bout dem

[blugiant]

They make minimum wage in most cases. If an employer likes certain workers he/she may offer them a little above that in order to acquire their services again in the future. Most employers provide basic spartan accomidation for their workers.

Work days are long as it is for any farm operation.

itt wurst fe da mexican migrants wukkers inn merikka cah itt below minimum wage ting fe a latt aff dem

[Wahalla]

back in the 80's i did not qualify for the Farm workers program...Proof that Wahalla is a dunce......then it was to pick apples in michigan and chap cane pick orange in Flarida... i wasnt registered as a member of a certain party....

The rates was then 8 hour day... plus over time..most guys did the over time when ever they could....... they provided accomondation....u had health insurance and the government took a cut....Far superior conditiosn than what a labourer would face in Jamaica and better pay...

I note the comment to the ladies "

For the ladies, would you ever date a farm worker

?" Why not ???????

implied snobbery.... Some of the best Jamaicans ever go on that.. proud strang Jamaicans... my father and his brothers did it in the thirties and then after he came 40's

All i know is that i would have earned 10 times as much as i was making as a labourer and in hard currency..... it was a six month contract... nuff man start small buisness, build house base on that labour.. if u look at it from a Jamaican perspective... i know police men take sick leave to tale it up...


I actually met some Canadian Farmers at the Vatican some years back who told me that they preferred Jamaican labour and are willing to pay over the odds for them. ( one of those times when uy are in a foreign country and a man hears ur voice and starts that conversation you sound like a Jamaica but you look like a native american kind of moments) They were singing Jamaican praises in a manner you would never hear a Jamaica boss do... ... We are not only harder workers but value adders.....