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Several Cuban workers sent to Canada as part of agreements between the Havana regime and the Canadian mining company Sherritt International have reported that the Cuban government seized up to 90% of their wages, in what experts and former employees describe as a modern form of labor trafficking and human exploitation.
A report by CBC News revealed testimonies from Cuban professionals who worked in nickel and cobalt refineries in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, and in the Bahamas. They claimed that much of the money they received was largely withheld by Cuban officials under the threat of retaliation.
"As soon as you arrive, you realize it's a blatant abuse. You work here like any other Canadian, but you earn a poor salary," said one of the former employees interviewed, whose identity was concealed for safety reasons.
According to testimonies, the scheme worked like this: Sherritt paid full salaries to Cuban workers, but their supervisors, appointed by the island's government, forced them to transfer between 80 and 90% of their net income to accounts controlled by the regime.
"The Cuban executive director sits you down and explains how it works: they will deduct housing, services, and then you will send all the remaining money to Cuba," recounted another former worker.
With annual incomes close to 100,000 Canadian dollars, many ended up living on just 500 or 600 dollars a month, turning to discount stores, garage sales, or even food banks to survive.
"We used to shop at Dollarama, which had the lowest prices, and at garage sales for everything else," shared one of the interviewees. "Some colleagues also relied on food banks."
Political control and fear of reprisals
In addition to economic dispossession, workers described an environment of constant surveillance and ideological control. According to the report published by Contacto Conce Chile, the Communist Party of Cuba requires its citizens on work missions to attend political-ideological workshops, report on the behavior of their colleagues, and even avoid personal relationships with Canadians.
"It is assumed that we should not form relationships with the Canadians we work with for eight hours a day. Outside of work, we are not allowed to make friendships or fall in love," said a worker.
Another former employee confirmed that they had to request permission to leave Fort Saskatchewan and that they never knew who could report them to the Cuban embassy.
The fear of being sent back to Cuba was a way to discipline and silence those who complained.
"If you complain, they tell you that you have to go to a meeting in Cuba. They give you a ticket, you return, and you never come back," explained one of the interviewees to CBC News.
The Cuban researcher María Werlau, quoted by CBC News, described these practices as human trafficking, stating that the Cuban government acts as "an intermediary that confiscates salaries, assigns workers to other bidders, and retains the power to send them back whenever it wishes."
An operation with decades of history
The report from CBC News recalls that the agreement between Sherritt International and the Cuban government dates back over three decades.
Under this agreement, nickel is extracted in the city of Moa, Cuba, and transported to Canada for refining. Since then, dozens of Cuban professionals have worked in those plants directly under the supervision of the regime.
Both former employees cited presented pay stubs and receipts of electronic transfers to Cuba as proof that up to 84% of their net earnings were being confiscated.
Meanwhile, Sherritt International denied having knowledge of or involvement in the scheme. “Any suggestion that Sherritt might be part of a wage confiscation plan is false. The company complies with all applicable laws in Canada and in the countries where it operates,” said Tom Halton, director of corporate affairs, in a statement quoted by CBC News.
Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba nor the Cuban Embassy in Canada responded to the requests for comments made by the Canadian media.
Official silence and a system that does not protect
Although Canadian authorities assert that all foreign workers enjoy the same labor rights as citizens of the country, former employees warned that the system relies on formal complaints, something that is nearly impossible in situations where fear of retaliation dominates.
A spokesperson for Alberta's Employment Ministry stated that there are no formal complaints regarding the joint venture, while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) asserted that temporary workers have access to a 24-hour anonymous reporting line. However, there are currently no signs of an investigation into the matter.
For many of these professionals, Canada represented an opportunity to work and thrive in freedom. But they soon discovered that their stay was marked by the same control and submission they were trying to leave behind.
"For Cubans who are fortunate enough to find a job in a democratic country like Canada, a life of freedom can only be observed, not enjoyed," lamented one of the former employees interviewed.
The testimony summarizes the paradox of a regime that exports labor under a rhetoric of cooperation, yet in practice reproduces mechanisms of modern slavery in the 21st century.
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