CIERTO CEO Joe Martinez is often asked to give his perspective on the issues facing migrant workers and growers as they work together to produce the fruits and vegetables that keep all of our families healthy and well-fed.
2022 has been an especially busy year for Joe, who contributed 2 articles in April on the 10th anniversary of the Dhaka Principles, and on the importance of responsible recruitment to workers, growers, retailers and consumers – everyone in the global food supply chain.
It’s an important acknowledgement of Joe’s growing role as a leader in the movement to recognize the importance of responsible recruitment. Responsible recruitment is key to protecting the safety of our food, the health and safety of our workers, and – increasingly – the reputation of retailers who don’t don’t want to be seen as complicit in migration issues like trafficking and extortion.
Freedom from Fear-Based Immigration: Ten Years of Dhaka Principle 2
Ten years ago, the launch of the Dhaka Principles helped companies envision ways to protect migrant workers and create systems of accountability in our increasingly interconnected global food supply chain.
When we founded CIERTO a few years later to recruit, train, and place skilled, qualified, legal migrant workers with farms in North America, Dhaka Principle 2, in particular, served as a guiding light. Its call for contract transparency and understanding was a valuable gut check as we established our mission, and created our standard operating procedures.
Martinez: Help wanted
Labor recruiter provides perspective on H-2A, responsible recruitment and the ag labor shortage.
One of the unforeseen impacts of the coronavirus pandemic has been the labor shortages experienced across multiple industries in the United States, from the retail and food and beverage sectors, to leisure and hospitality, including various segments of the agricultural industry.
A deeper look at the issue reveals that the agricultural labor shortage in particular is a result of longer-term issues that have been plaguing our food supply and distribution system for years, before COVID-19 made its appearance on the world stage.
