There have been several reports that circulated online about the demand for 700 mushroom pickers in Canada where they can earn up to P150,000 a month. However, the labor department has warned the public to be wary of ‘too good to be true’ job offers overseas.
In a report to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Labor Attaché I-designate Celeste Marie Ramos of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Toronto said there are no 700 job orders in the pipeline for mushroom pickers in Canada.
In addition, the claims of P150,000-P180,000 monthly pay as a typical mushroom picker is “inflated and inaccurate.” Mushroom pickers are typically paid minimum wage in Ontario and in other provinces.
The POLO Toronto official added that the Canadian government gives local Canadian laborers a priority over foreign laborers.
Requirements are stringent as the government entails farm owners to get Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) first before they are allowed to hire foreign workers.
It also occasionally takes between six months and two years for the Canadian government to approve these LMIAs to the most reputable companies, and the higher the number, the longer the approval takes.
Ramos also told Bello that POLO Toronto sees labor and welfare concerns in the agricultural sector as a high priority because it has remained “ripe for exploitation by unscrupulous third parties.”
The Philippine Embassy in Canada has already issued an advisory informing the public to exercise caution over reports of work abroad that bypass the Philippine government’s standard procedures.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), meanwhile, has reiterated that it is not recruiting mushroom pickers or any workers to Canada and that there is no accredited recruitment agency and approved job order for the said workers, as of this time.
The POEA encouraged the public to report to their hotline numbers 722-1144 or 722-1155 any recruitment activity of this nature.
News source: DOLE
