IUF North America advances Decent Work Guidelines for the Agrifood Sector

In conjunction with affiliate, UFCW Canada, IUF hosted a forum on Decent Work in the Canadian Agrifood Sector, held in Toronto, Canada on November 5.

This forum brought together representatives from Canada's large agrifood employers, the federal government, and the food workers' unions as social partners, to discuss the future of decent work in the sector in Canada, building upon the model of social dialogue recommended in the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Decent work guidelines for the agrifood sector.

"By bringing together unions, employers, and government, we're taking an important step toward embedding the ILO's Decent Work Guidelines into Canada's agri-food industry - not as an end in themselves, but as a framework to empower workers, strengthen organizing, and expand union density across the sector and its supply chains," says Derek Johnstone, coordinator for the IUF North America region.

Following the forum, Svetlana Boincean, IUF International Officer: Agriculture & Plantations, conducted a field visit at the UFCW Canada Agricultural Worker Support Centre in Leamington, Ontario, meeting with agriculture workers and farm work organizers.

The field visit to the Agricultural Worker Support Centre also included the release of a new report, 'Decent Work and Temporary Stay: An Overview of the ILO Agri-Food Guidelines Affecting Migrant Workers in Canada', which evaluates Canada's progress in implementing the ILO's Decent Work Guidelines in the agri-food sector-focusing on the rights and working conditions of migrant workers. Conducted by researchers from UFCW Canada, and Canadian universities of Dalhousie University, St. Thomas University, and McMaster University, the study examines the application of ILO guidelines in the provinces of Alberta, New Brunswick, and Ontario, particularly in meat packing, agriculture, and seafood processing.

The report highlights the lack of robust social dialogue between government, employers, and labour organizations as a major barrier to achieving decent work for all. Its nine recommendations call for stronger labour protections, the elimination of employer-specific work permits, expanded pathways to permanent residency, and better enforcement of employment standards.