No Toilets and Creek Water Are Workplace Amenities

A British Columbia tree planter's contract was terminated by the provincial government while authorities investigate allegations workers were subjected to no toilets, only creek water to drink and were paid with bounced checks.

According to The Canadian Press, upwards of 30 workers were removed from the Khaira Enterprises work camp after forestry ministry staff came upon what the province's labor minister details as "substandard conditions'' last month. They were responding to complaints of illegal burning.

The company is barred from government work for at least one year and the ministry is withholding its security deposit and other funds on the grounds it contravened its contract with BC Timber Sales. (WCxKit)

"I am very concerned about the alleged substandard conditions and mistreatment of employees at this forestry work camp,'' Labour Minister Murray Coell said in a statement about terminating the contract. "The conditions described are completely unacceptable for employees.''

According to the B.C. Federation of Labour, whose staff and president spoke to about a dozen workers in recent days, most members of the group were landed immigrants from Burundi and the Republic of Congo. President Jim Sinclair said they travelled from Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal to earn money to pay rent and go back to school.

They are also owed tens of thousands of dollars, he alleged, and said they initially tried striking and reaching out to authorities for help, but were only rescued when Forestry got the complaint for burning rubbish.

Sinclair said the workers were treated like “virtual slaves,'' and he put the blame on the province for lack of oversight.

"I've seen lots of lousy working conditions, but this is probably the grossest example that I've seen,'' he said in an interview. "It just shows you how far we've come as a society away from the idea that government is going to stop people from being abused. "Ninety per cent of them are new immigrants, they're being taken advantage of partly because of who they are.'' Sinclair fears there could be other hidden situations like this and called for the government to make and follow through on recommendations. (WCxKit)

WorkSafe BC and the Employment Standards Branch has launched investigations, including immediately interviewing the workers. A report could take several months.

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: [email protected] or 860-553-6604.

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