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Families of killed and injured men request meeting with Minister of Labour
October 28, 2008
Family members of the men killed and injured at a mushroom farm in Langley in September have requested a meeting with BC Minister of Labour, Iain Black.
The families have asked for an opportunity to meet with the Minister to describe first-hand the concerns and problems facing those left behind after the tragedy.
"We have heard from the families about a lack of safety training on the farm, a lack of material in languages they could understand and the fear of being fired that the farmworkers felt if they raised safety concerns," says B.C. Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair. "The families want an opportunity to meet with Iain Black to discuss their immediate concerns, the investigation and what can be done to ensure an accident like this never happens again."
The families have also joined with the B.C. Federation of Labour in calling for a public inquiry into working conditions in the agricultural sector.
"If we are to stop these terrible incidents before they happen, we must investigate the root causes and examine industry-wide solutions," Sinclair added. "Unlike the Workers Compensation Board investigation which will be conducted behind closed doors, the open and transparent way to accomplish this would be through an independent public inquiry."
On September 5th, 2008, three men were killed and three men were injured, two of them critically, in an incident at Farmers' Fresh Mushrooms Inc. The incident is under investigation by the WCB. The investigation and final report is expected to take a year.
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For more information: Evan Stewart, Director of Communications, (604) 220-3095.
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