2025 amendments to the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program employment contract with the Caribbean

This page is intended to provide a summary of the amendments to the above-mentioned employment contract. All parties are encouraged to review the appropriate employment contract in its entirety to remain informed on applicable terms and requirements.

The following sections and clauses of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) employment contract with the Caribbean have been amended for the 2025 season:

1. Section 2: Lodging, meals and rest periods, part A, clause 1

A sentence was added to clarify that the government agent needs to be consulted on the employer's obligation to provide adequate living accommodations to the worker, which includes the annual approval by the appropriate government authority for the accommodation.

2. Section 2: Lodging, meals and rest periods, part A, clause 2

This clause was modified to indicate that accommodations with laundry facilities must, in addition to having an adequate number of automated washing machines, also be equipped with an adequate number of automated drying machines, at no cost to the worker.

Furthermore, where accommodations require paid laundry facilities, the employer is responsible to provide the worker with an increased weekly amount of $16.50 towards laundry costs.

3. Section 2: Lodging, meals and rest periods, part A, clause 7

This amendment increases the amount that can be deducted by employers for utility costs in applicable provinces, by 2.67% to $2.75 per day based on the consumer price index (CPI) methodology. The increase is based on the methodology used to update the utility deduction for the 2025 contract for employment.

4. Section 2: Lodging, meals and rest periods, part A, clause 9

For British Columbia only, the permitted amount for the accommodation deduction increased by 3.01% to $7.11 per working day and is not to exceed $946.95 during the worker's stay in Canada.

5. Section 2: Lodging, meals and rest periods, part B, clause 10

This section was amended to remove the "For provinces and territories except British Columbia" reference. This eliminates the distinction between all provinces and territories and British Columbia and allows to establish a nationwide amount for a meal deduction.

6. Section 2: Lodging, meals and rest periods, part B, clause 10b

Where the worker and the employer agree that the latter provides meals to the worker, the nationwide permitted amount for meal deduction will increase by 3.12% and is not to exceed $11.50 per day.

7. Section 2: Lodging, meals and rest periods, part B, clauses 12 and 13

Further to the amendments to clause 10, 2 unused clauses have been deleted to eliminate the "For British Columbia only" reference, which separated the provision of meals for British Columbia.

8. Section 2: Lodging, meals and rest periods, part C, clause 12

This clause clarifies that workers shall be entitled to meal breaks and rest periods, paid or not, in accordance with provincial/territorial legislation.

9. Section 3: Payment of wages, clause 4

In Canada, the recognition payment has increased by 3.12% to $4.60 per week, to a maximum of $147.00.

10. Section 5: Deduction from wages, clause 4

The deductions remitted to the government agent by the employer to cover, among others, the costs associated with the physical and financial protection of the worker while in Canada and ensuring the worker's safe arrival to Canada from their country of origin have increased by 3.12% to $6.26 per working day.

11. Section 6: Health and safety of workers, clause 4

Because this clause lacked the specific reference to "provincial/territorial" coverage, an amendment was made to clarify that the employer must take the worker to obtain such a health coverage in a timely manner.

12. Section 6: Health and safety of workers, clause 5

This section was amended to provide more clarity on the requirement for the employer to ensure that workers are covered by provincial/territorial health insurance, provincial/territorial workplace safety insurance programs or a private insurance policy that provides complete health coverage to the worker, at no additional cost to the worker. Under no circumstances should a worker not be covered for any injury or illness while employed in Canada.

13. Section 8: Travel and reception arrangements, clause 1

This amendment is to ensure that workers can have, in each direction, one checked luggage and a meal in cases where the airlines don't include them in the airfare. The cost of the bag and the meal are included in the cost of the 2-way airfare paid by the employer and shall not be deducted separately from the worker's wages.

A second amendment was added to this clause to clarify that in the event that a worker changes their immigration status while in Canada, the employer is no longer obligated to pay the cost of the worker's return flight to their home country.

14. Section 8: Travel and reception arrangements, clause 5

The maximum airfare deductions were updated for the upcoming 2025 season. These deductions are updated each year based on the provincial seasonal airfare costs.

15. Section 9: Obligations of the employer, clause 12

This new clause was added to include the requirement for the employer to assist workers in ensuring that they have access, free of charge, to housing and support services in a force majeure event that prevents the worker from working and affects the area in which they're located/living. In situations where no work is possible, the employer, in consultation with the government agent, should assist the worker in finding alternative employment with another SAWP employer or assist the worker in returning to their home country, at no additional cost to the worker outside of the provisions in the contract relating to transportation and housing costs.

16. Section 15: Transfer of workers, clause 4

This new clause was added to ensure that during the transfer of a worker, the receiving employer is responsible for arranging and paying for the transportation of the worker to the new work location, at no cost to the worker.