By the end of this year another 500 workers are expected to join the programme.
In 2003, IOM kicked off a two-year pilot project that involved 125 Guatemalan workers selected for temporary agricultural work in Canada. Since then, 8,000 Guatemalan workers have participated in the programme.
Since then, the programme has expanded to include the chicken dairy and meat processing industry, construction, landscaping and laundry and now includes the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Colombia, Prince Edward Island and Ontario.
Santa Pic de Ticú recalls the first time she travelled to Canada: "It was difficult for me to become a temporary migrant worker. When I told my husband that there was an IOM programme that would allow me to go to Canada for a few months to work on a farm, he did not want me to go. But after I explained the benefits this would bring to our family, he gave me permission to go."
For the past four years Santa has travelled to Canada to harvest strawberries. Her sons, William and Pablo, stay at home with their father and grandmother.
The project "Temporary Agricultural Workers to Canada" was created by IOM and the Guatemalan Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Labour and Social Affairs following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between IOM and the Fondation des entreprises en recrutement de main-d'œuvre agricole étrangère or FERME, a Canadian Foundation based in Quebec that deals with the recruitment of foreign agricultural labour.
Günther Müssig, IOM Chief of Mission in Guatemala, says the project has become a successful model for temporary labour migration and that it is the only solution offered to avoid irregular migration. "The past five years have proven that it is possible to carry out a safe, dignified and orderly flow of migrant workers, thereby contributing to better management of migration flows. The project provides benefits all around - to the countries of origin and destination and to the migrants and their families."
IOM provides technical assistance to the Guatemalan government, participates in the selection of workers, advises those selected on travel documents and other requirements for travel to Canada, and arranges their flights.
The agreement stipulates that all migrants must return to their country of origin at the end of their contracts, which range between four and six months, and provide coverage under Canadian labour laws.
The wages received by temporary migrant workers are higher than the minimum salary in Canada. Additional benefits for the migrants include the new skills they learn, ranging from new planting and harvesting techniques to classifying and packing the produce, which are taken with them to Guatemala when the migrants return.
A recent household survey on expenditures confirmed that the earnings these temporary migrant workers are bringing back to their places of origin are having a positive impact on their quality of life.
For more information please contact: Stefan Mantsch, IOM Guatemala, Tel: +502 23628367 to 70 Email: smantsch@iom.int
