Name: Cuban workers in Canada say their government seized most of their pay
Uploaded: 2025-11-04T04:13:51.856Z
Duration: 2 min 25 s
Description: Cuban workers sent to Canada in a joint mining venture are accusing their government of human trafficking and exploitation, saying they were forced to hand over most of their wages, leaving them with barely enough to survive.

Cuban workers sent to Canada in a joint mining venture are accusing their government of human trafficking and exploitation, saying they were forced to hand over most of their wages, leaving them with barely enough to survive.

Edmonton

Cuban professionals working in Alberta for a joint venture between Cuba's state mining company and Sherrod International, a Canadian firm, allege that they were required to transfer 80 to 90 percent of their net pay to the Cuban government. Despite being paid full wages by the Canadian company, workers say their Cuban supervisors enforced the policy, leaving them with minimal income and forcing some to rely on food banks.

Sherrod International stated it had no knowledge of the wage confiscation scheme, while the Cuban government did not respond to inquiries. The Canadian government reported improvements in its systems to address such abuses but did not specify if it would intervene in this particular case.

Cuban workers in Canada say their government seized most of their pay

CBC News has agreed to hide this man's identity to protect his family from reprisals in Cuba. He's a professional who worked in Alberta for a joint venture between Cuba's state mining company and the private Canadian company, Sherrod International. On paper, he was paid close to $100,000 annual salary. But the pay slips don't tell the whole story. As soon as you arrive, you realize that this is a naked abuse. You work like any Canadian here, but you only get a miserable salary. He says the former Cuban CEO of the Sherrod refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta told him that Cuban workers had to wire transfer between 80 and 90 percent of their net pay to the Cuban government. We bought most of our food at Dollarama, which had the lowest prices. And for everything else, garage sales. Some turned to food banks, he said. The confiscation of wages is normal for Cubans working abroad, says this researcher. These people are not used to thinking, I have the right to take a vacation, I have the right to take my family to the movies. No, they're thinking survival. But Sherrod's Cuban workers knew they were being exploited. 100 percent of the Cubans are unhappy about this. But it's not something you would talk about lightly or discuss in public, because the embassy is going to find out. We're not supposed to form relationships with the Canadians we work with eight hours a day. You have an intermediary that is confiscating the salary, you know, hiring you out to another bidder. Wuerlaw says the Cuban government is engaged in human trafficking. The Cuban supervisor has the prerogative to send any member back at any point and to discipline them. Sherrod International, the Canadian half of the joint venture, said it had no knowledge of any wage confiscation scheme. The Cuban workers said Sherrod paid them their wages in full. It was their Cuban supervisors who then forced them to hand over most of the money. The Cuban government didn't respond to CBC's questions. The Canadian government said it has improved its systems generally for dealing with such abuses, but didn't respond to questions about whether it would intervene in this Cuban joint venture. Evan Dyer, CBC News, Ottawa.

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