There is need for regional governments to step-up their involvement in protecting Caribbean workers who travel abroad to work, said social worker and community activist Moilene Samuels on Thursday.

Speaking during a webinar on the treatment of migrant workers, Samuels, who works with Canada-based advocacy group Justice For Migrants, called on Caribbean governments to play a more active role in ensuring the safety and well-being of migrant farm workers.

Noting her experiences with the group, Samuels said she has seen, firsthand, the exploitation migrant workers face from employers. She said basic necessities like nutritious food and adequate housing were often missing.

"They (migrant workers) have no one to speak with in cases where they would need someone to act as a liaison or to even call on for support.

"Sometimes even when I'm having a hard day I can think of a good meal or a relaxing moment and it would make that day a better one but some workers don't have food, they may not have culturally appropriate food, that is food they are not familiar with or nutritious for men that have to work for 12-15 hours a day.

"These are basic necessities, something as simple as a good bed to sleep on, adequate water supply, that are missing."

Samuels said the trend of Caribbean workers migrating to Canada for short-term employment has been going on for 55 years. She was upset that basic systems were not in place to protect workers.

Another speaker, Jessica Ponting, community legal worker for the Industrial Accident Victims Group (IAVG), said in her experience most migrant workers would often hide on-the-job injuries to avoid termination.

She said while compensation was available for workers through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), it was often difficult to access for migrant workers owing to the far-reaching influence of employers.

"When they get injured the WSIB is supposed to provide wage loss benefits, healthcare, rehabilitation and there is also a welfare for permanent injury, so at the surface it sounds pretty good, so that you can get a job or a wage replacement. But it can be a nasty system both for Ontario workers and migrant workers.

"The way the system works is, it's funded by employer premiums and employers have a tremendous amount of lobbying power and they ask the WSIB to cut injury premiums."

The webinar was the second instalment in a series focusing on the rights of migrant workers.

It was jointly co-ordinated by UWI and Justice for Migrants.