WATCH ABOVE: Advocates demanding justice for temporary migrant workers took to two wheels Saturday, riding from Montreal to St-Remi.
MONTREAL – Protesters on bikes and some in cars were part of a caravan heading from Montreal to St-Remi on Saturday, to show their support for Noé Arteaga Santos and demanding justice for all temporary farm workers in Quebec.
Santos was fired by Savoura in 2009, a short time after he started working for the Quebec-based tomato producer in Saint-Etienne-de-Gres. Isaïa Garcia Castillo, a fellow migrant worker from Guatemala became ill and Santos participated in a short strike, demanding Castillo receive medical attention.
After six years of legal battles, a human rights tribunal ruled in favor of Santos, saying the company had fired him without just cause and that Savoura had discriminated against workers based on their ethnic origin. The tribunal then reversed his firing.
READ MORE: Advocates seek justice for Migrant workers
Savoura declared bankruptcy in March of this year and Santos has yet to receive compensation.
The caravan hopes to attract attention to his plight and that of other migrant workers.
According to organizers, temporary farm workers do not have access to benefits and are systematically repressed when they try to organize.
The caravan stops in St-Remi, as the the city plays host to an annual three-day cultural fiesta.
The fiesta celebrates the tastes and colour of Latin America and according to the website draws inspiration from the migrant workers in the region. The Guatamalan and Mexican consulates both sponsor
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