THE BC Federation of Labour on Monday said in a statement on the National Day of Mourning for workers killed, injured or made sick by their jobs that the most important right workers have is the right to come home at the end of the working day as safe and healthy as when they left.

It added: “Yet so very often, that isn’t the case. In the past year, there were 195 worker deaths reported.”

The BCFED said: “We must ask: why does that number remain so high year after year? Why are there so many more workers whose lives are devastatingly altered by illness or injury? And what will we do about it?

“Those questions are even more urgent as we recognize the growing, evolving array of workplace dangers workers face: the drug poisoning crisis; climate-related threats like heat, smoke, flooding and wildfires; the epidemic of workplace violence; and threats to workers’ psychological health and safety.”

It added: “While we’ve made progress — changes to workers’ compensation, protections for workers handling asbestos, and trades certification and paid sick leave that make for safer workplaces — it feels lately like that progress is stalling.

“We must and we will push harder. We need real accountability for employers, with improved prevention and enforcement, and penalties that see the act of endangering workers for what it really is: a betrayal of an employer’s first and overriding responsibility.

“We need laws and protections that respond to our changing climate, and do more to prevent workplace violence. And we need a fundamental shift in workplace laws and culture, so we treat psychological injury with every bit as much dignity and care as we do physical injury.”

The BCFED said: “Today is about grief and remembrance, but it’s also about action and solidarity. As a province, we must offer more than just comfort and tears to the bereaved: we must deliver concrete change, and we must deliver justice.

“We must never accept that workers’ lives are part of the cost of doing business

and earning a living in British Columbia, or anywhere else.

“We remember the dead. And we fight every day, with everything we have, for the living.”

It noted: “This year’s Day of Mourning takes place as we grieve the victims of Saturday evening’s attack on the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party. We can only imagine the anguish this has brought to the families of those who were killed and injured, and to the Filipino community here and around the world. BC’s unions stand with them all.

“We are deeply grateful to the multitude of first responders, frontline workers, community workers and health care workers — many of them members of the Filipino community — who answered the call to help without hesitation. They have worked long hours to save lives and heal injuries, to comfort families and support and protect a grieving community.

“That work can take a heavy toll, and they deserve every support our community can provide. To all the workers who have responded with such professionalism and compassion in this time of crisis, we offer our solidarity and our very deepest thanks.”

PREMIER David Eby said: “Going to work should be a safe, routine activity. Yet every year, hundreds of British Columbians are hurt or killed on the job.

“On National Day of Mourning, we remember the workers who have died, were injured or became ill as a result of their job. We also renew our commitment to protecting workers and preventing workplace tragedies.

“In 2024, 146 B.C. workers died due to workplace illnesses or injuries. My heart goes out to their loved ones and their communities.

“Every workplace death has far-reaching consequences. Lives are cut short. Co-workers are traumatized. And loved ones are devastated – shocked that when they said goodbye in the morning, they were saying goodbye forever.

“Our government is committed to working toward a future where every worker in this province goes home safe and healthy at the end of their day. And, if people are hurt on the job, that they get all the support they need.

“Last year, occupational diseases, including exposure to asbestos, remained the No. 1 workplace killer in B.C. By partnering with WorkSafeBC to introduce new asbestos licensing and certification requirements, we have made workplaces safer and healthier, but we know there is much more work to do.

“In the past year, we have made it easier for people from more professions to access workers’ compensation for psychological injuries caused by work-related trauma. We also became the first jurisdiction in Canada to provide basic protections for gig workers, including covering them through WorkSafeBC. And we addressed an important health-and-safety issue by making it mandatory to have flush toilets at construction sites with 25 workers or more.

“National Day of Mourning serves as a reminder that we have more to do. One workplace death or injury is one too many. Everyone has a right to come home to their family at the end of the day, and we will continue to work toward that goal in partnership with workers, the labour movement and employers.

“Today, we honour those we have lost, alongside their loved ones and colleagues. And, in their memory, we recommit to ensuring that no one ever has to pay the ultimate price, just for a paycheque.”

Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Labour, added: “Today and every day, we remember the workers whose lives were taken far too soon, leaving behind grieving families and friends. Their loss is a daily reminder of the urgent need to do everything we can to ensure our loved ones come home safe at the end of their shifts. As the minister of labour, I wake up every morning thinking about workers who have lost their lives on the job. Their stories should drive us all to recommit to do the work needed to make worksites as safe as possible in B.C.”