On National Day of Mourning SFL renews calls for swift action on Worker Fatalities Crisis Strategy
Released May 1, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2019
On National Day of Mourning SFL renews calls for swift action on Worker Fatalities Crisis Strategy
Every April 28th, workers mourn those who have been injured or killed on the job. This Day of Mourning, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) is once again calling on the provincial government to swiftly address the worker fatalities crisis in Saskatchewan.
“We owe it to the 48 workers who lost their lives in Saskatchewan last year, and the many more that were injured at work, to keep fighting for safer workplaces,” said SFL President Lori Johb, “in December of last year, the SFL blew the whistle on Saskatchewan’s unacceptably high number of worker deaths and injuries. We are in the middle of a crisis, and there are a number of things the provincial government can do immediately to help protect workers and save lives,” she added.
In December of 2018, and several times since, the SFL called for:
- The development of a comprehensive Worker Fatalities Crisis Strategy, including a roundtable with workers, unions, the WCB, and other stakeholders;
- A widespread public awareness campaign to inform Saskatchewan people of the current worker fatalities crisis, and educate workers on their three fundamental occupational health and safety rights: the right to know, the right to participate, and the right to refuse;
- The publishing of all incident reports in an accessible online format, as is done in British Columbia;
- The publishing of all investigation reports in an accessible online format, similar to the process in Alberta.
“It took too long, but we are pleased the WCB has committed to holding a roundtable discussion with the SFL and our members later this month,” said Johb, “however there’s still lots the provincial government and employers can do. The Day of Mourning is the perfect time to commit to those reforms, in honour of the workers who are no longer with us,” she added.
To find Saskatchewan Day of Mourning events, visit: http://www.sfl.sk.ca/day-of-mourning-events-2019
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For additional information, contact:
Kent Peterson
Strategic Advisor
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
m: 1 (306) 570-1855
e: k.peterson@sfl.sk.ca
