Greenhouse growers support calls for independent body to review workplace complaints

WINDSOR, ONT. -- Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) support calls to create an independent body to receive and address workplace complaints from agri-food employees.

In a report Monday, employees and advocates were quoted as calling for an “independent oversight agency to deal with complaints” from agri-food employees.

OGVG and its members said they are committed to their workers, their families and their communities.

“OGVG has been calling for a number of additional tools and services to help address acute issues with employee safety and supports throughout the COVID-19 pandemic” said Joe Sbrocchi, general manager of OGVG. “As stated earlier this month, we believe an ombudsman-like position to mediate employee-employer interactions would serve both parties and help to strengthen the reputation of the long-standing temporary foreign worker programs.”

The organization says it supports the call for an independent body and remains committed to enhancing a full suite of regulatory tools, support services and other workplace protections for agri-food employees, such as:

• Additional testing for all agri-food employees.
• Increased joint on-farm inspections with the federal government under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program framework to identify and address bad players.
• A ban on employees working at more than one operation.
• A crackdown on the use unscrupulous recruiters who operate outside of the law, asking all levels of government to work with the sector to address this issue.
• Source and distribute additional PPE for employees to use in their communities as well as distribute PPE to local businesses to ensure masks and social distancing are the norm at all commercial establishments.

OGVG and other agri-food stakeholders said they have been working with the federal and provincial governments and authorities to manage through the COVID-19 crisis.

“Earlier this month we thanked the Government of Canada for additional investments to provide support and protections for foreign workers” said Dr. Justine Taylor, science and government relations manager for OGVG. “We believe that using those resources to create a coordinated body to address worker concerns and deal with a myriad of challenges makes good sense and will help agri-food employees and employers alike.”

OGVG said the complicated interjurisdictional landscape created has been met with their repeated calls to create a more streamlined governance system for decision-making and coordinated action.