BCFL calls for review of 15-passenger 'death trap' vans

Tragic crashes in New Brunswick and British Columbia

Vancouver (18 Jan. 2008) - The B.C. Federation of Labour is again asking the B.C. government to review use of 15-passenger 'death traps' in all areas of transportation, including that of farm workers.

The plea follows the death of eight people in New Brunswick, in a tragic crash following a high school basketball game, and a similar accident last March in B.C. when three farm workers died and many others were injured.

After the accident last year, the federation asked the province to set up a farm worker committee and to review the stability of such vans in order to make recommendations to improve stability and safety.

"This recent accident in New Brunswick only highlights the well-known problems associated with these vans and yet no action has been taken in British Columbia to deal with the real dangers these vans pose," says federation president, Jim Sinclair.

"Why are they ignoring our recommendation when the lives of people are at stake?" he asks.

Lawsuits pending

Recent reports indicate the vans are most dangerous when full or overloaded. In addition to being banned or restricted in some provinces and U.S. states, the vehicles are also subject to several lawsuits. In B.C., there are no restrictions on the use of the vans in transporting either workers or students.

"Something should be done immediately to review the situation and take action," Sinclair says. "If these vans are unsafe and there is a growing body of evidence to suggest this, then they should be banned from use in transporting students and workers. If they aren't safe for kids, they sure aren't safe for their mothers and fathers."

The Federation has sent a new letter to Labour Minister Olga Ilich and Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon asking for immediate action.

"They've had our recommendations for nearly a year and no action has been taken on this issue at all," Sinclair notes. "This is a matter of life and death and ignoring the dangers is inexcusable."

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring that our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE

(Published by n18ja08a.htm)