‘Here, life is hard’: Migrant workers from Mexico sue N.B. company for alleged mistreatment

Two migrant workers from Mexico are suing a New Brunswick seafood processing company for what they allege was "widespread exploitation" and mistreatment.

Two migrant workers from Mexico are suing a New Brunswick seafood processing company for what they allege was “widespread exploitation” and mistreatment.

Toronto-based advocacy organization Migrant Workers Alliance for Change says the lawsuit was served to LeBreton & Sons Fisheries on Tuesday.

Juan Pablo Lerma Lopez and Adriana de Leon Silva are seeking wages that they say they are owed under a six-month contract they entered into last year.

They are also seeking $12,500 each for the “great emotional pain and stress that LeBreton inflicted” on them.

Lopez, 27, spoke to reporters Tuesday at a news conference. In Spanish, he explained that coming to Canada was a different experience than what he had envisioned.

“My reality is that I have to support my family so I came to Canada. But here, life is hard, too, but we have to keep going,” he said, as interpreted by Niger Saravia with Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.

Lopez alleges that he lived in a hotel with poor ventilation, for which he had to pay $300 in rent, with two other workers. The accommodations were so bad, he says, there was mould on his clothes and belongings.

He and De Leon Silva allege they were promised an average of 30 hours a week of work over six months. However, a statement of claim says the two only received work from May 7 to Aug. 18, 2023. It’s alleged Lopez worked an average of 19 hours per week and De Leon Silva worked an average of 20.5 hours per week.