Banana harvest needs its Haitian workforce; Recent migration rules stirs serious questions

[Dolores]

The Dominican government has ordered that companies using Haitian labor need to regularize the status of their employees. Now, Dominican Association of Banana Growers members are concerned that they may not have enough workers to harvest the banana production in border provinces. They are concerned they may fail to meet their commitments with the clients in Europe and the United States. The banana producers export around US$5 million in bananas a week and produce around 70,000 direct jobs in the banana farms.

The chairman of the Permanent Committee on Agriculture in the Chamber of Deputies, Arafel Antonio Abel Lora, announced that his committee feels that the massive deportation of Haitians would destroy the export of bananas in the northwestern region. This is the major banana production area in the Dominican Republic, and includes the provinces of...

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[OldSkool]

It's the same issue anywhere that counts on foreign workers to do the work that citizens can't or won't do up against the anti-immigrant sentiment.

 

[bob saunders]

It's the same issue anywhere that counts on foreign workers to do the work that citizens can't or won't do up against the anti-immigrant sentiment.

Just require a functional Work Visa system. Canada's works reasonably well.

 

[OldSkool]

Just require a functional Work Visa system. Canada's works reasonably well.

Unfortunately we are not allowed to discuss other countries or I could post many examples to the contrary

 

[windeguy]

It's the same issue anywhere that counts on foreign workers to do the work that citizens can't or won't do up against the anti-immigrant sentiment.

Anti illegal immigrant. Huge difference.

 

[NALs]

What's wrong with increasing wages and creating better working conditions (plus contribute to their retirement pension as stated by Dominican labor laws)? There is a reason their illegal Haitian immigrants abandon those jobs as soon they become legal immigrants!! If it was such a good job, they wouldn't leave en masse upon becoming legals. Plus, the banana plantation owners will not be able to add to their profits the difference between the depress wages they pay illegals vs the actual wage level to attract legal immigrants and Dominicans, plus pocketing the amount suppose to go to the workers retirement pension since illegals have none, and lets not get into improving working conditions which often requires more $$$$ to be invested.

The greatest thing to these banana plantations owners are illegal immigrants. It means less money for the workers and more money for the owner's pocket.

Oh well. The private education of the owner's children, the owner's beautiful house, the shiny jeepeta of the owner, and his fsmily's trips to the US, various places in Latin America and Europe needs to be financed somehow.