BC Fed: BC gov’t should pay damages to abused tree planters
Posted May 23, 2014 10:54 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The head of the BC Federation of Labour believes the BC government should pay the $600,000 awarded to abused forestry workers.
Fifty-five tree planters who were the victims of racism on their BC job site in 2010 have collectively been awarded the damages by the BC Human Rights Tribunal.
The federation’s Jim Sinclair says the tree planters were working on public land for a contractor hired by the BC government.
“What should happen now is very simple and very clear. The government should step in, it should apologize to these workers for giving a contract to the employers who did this, and it should pay the $600,000,” he says.
He points out a report put out in 2011 made 13 recommendations to improve the industry, but he says there is still poor enforcement of regulations.
“They should all coordinate the inspections and use one inspector so they can actually get out and go to these camps because they never bother to go to them. They should change the bidding process because Khaira Enterprises got the contract despite the fact they had been found guilty of bad practices in previous camps.”
The tribunal found the employees, who were recently landed immigrants from Africa, were subjected to racial slurs and some hadn’t eaten in two days on their worksite near Golden.
The tribunal has ruled that the employer, Khaira Enterprises, owes the workers that money for injury to dignity and self-respect. The company, though, has since declared bankruptcy.
