British Columbia Federation of Labour

A year after a deadly incident at a mushroom farm in Langley, family members of the men killed and injured at the farm are still waiting for answers.

On the afternoon of September 5, 2008, three men were killed and three were seriously injured at the Farmers Fresh Mushrooms farm in Langley. A full year after the incident the Workers' Compensation Board has still not completed its investigation, a coroner's inquest has not been called, and no charges have been laid.

"These families have paid a terrible price for the dangerous working conditions on industrial farms in the province," says Jim Sinclair, President of the B.C. Federation of Labour. "The Campbell government has refused to take action to punish those guilty, to improve the safety of farmworkers, and to end the discrimination the government introduced when they gutted Employment Standards for farmworkers."

The B.C. Federation of Labour and the families of the men killed and injured at the farm are calling for improved working conditions for agricultural workers in BC - this includes a more rigorous inspection and enforcement system and improved training.

The Federation is calling on the provincial government to end the discrimination and ensure that farmworkers are covered by the same employment standards and workplace rights of other workers in BC. The Federation also wants criminal charges laid in cases where there is clear criminal negligence in a workplace.

"The best way to improve worker safety on farms in the province is to conduct a full public enquiry into working conditions in the agricultural sector," Sinclair added. "British Columbians do not want food on their tables that has come at the cost of killed and injured farmworkers."

For more information: Evan Stewart, Director of Communications (604) 220-3095.