National Day of Mourning
Their sacrifice is a reminder to all of us of the importance of creating and maintaining safe and healthy working conditions. Last year, Manitoba began listing schools as a ‘high-risk industry’, due to the level of violence experienced by education workers on the job. [Article]
In the same year, a BC school was being investigated when multiple staff members who worked in the same wing of the building were diagnosed with breast cancer. [Article]
In the early 2000’s, ETFO members investigated their workplaces and took action against their school board, when staff showed various health conditions at school. With the help of the union, they did a work refusal which led to an MOL inspection and a ruling in their favour. This action led to further advocacy for education workers suffering from mould and asbestos-filled schools. It also demonstrated how members, united, can get health justice, even when the employer is unwilling to admit a problem. [Article]
We all have the duty and right to report unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. If you are unsure what to do to keep your workplace safe, report hazards or incidents to your administrator and if nothing is done, call the ETFO office for support!
If you can, please join us Sunday, April 28 at the Cambridge Workers’ Memorial at 10:30 AM (details in the link):
