British Columbia Federation of Labour

How Many More Tragic Accidents Will it Take Asks B.C. Federation of Labour

Vancouver—A second accident in just four months should be a clear message to the provincial government that conditions for farm workers need immediate attention and action said B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair.

"How many more accidents will it take before this government takes any action," asked Sinclair following another accident this year involving the transportation of farm workers. Nine individuals were sent to hospital in yesterday's accident, including some with serious injuries. Earlier this year a farm worker was killed in a similar accident in Langley.

"We have called for comprehensive changes to farm worker protection and the government's response has been muted at best," said Sinclair. Following the Federation's call, the Ministry of Labour did acknowledge that "workers in the agricultural sector are the most vulnerable to employment standards abuse," and "…ongoing inspection activities…have revealed consistent contraventions of employment standards." "The government knows these workers are being taken advantage of, but they still refuse to do anything about it, " stated Sinclair.

"I wrote to Minister Graham Bruce in July but there's been no action," Sinclair continued. The Ministry claimed the Minister was awaiting the outcome of a WCB investigation into the July death of a Surrey farm worker. "That report was expected at the end of October, I think workers and their families deserve an immediate and public release of the WCB investigation," said Sinclair.

"The government may not be willing to take any action, but the Federation is immediately undertaking a study which will analyze the effectiveness of provincial government regulations concerning farm workers," said Sinclair, "and unlike the government, we are committed to making our findings public."

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Background Attached

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Further links and resources:

Farmworkers Backgrounder