Union questions Saskatoon hotel’s safety protocols after worker’s death

A union president is questioning the circumstances surrounding the death of a hotel replacement worker in October, and asking what safety training and protocols are in place at the hotel after the woman died on the job.

Lucy Figueiredo, president of UFCW Local 1400, said employees have been locked out for more than a year after contract talks with hotel management broke down. Since then, replacement workers have been brought in to staff the hotel.

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According Figueiredo, one of those replacements, a female housekeeper, fell to her death from the roof of the Saskatoon Heritage Inn & Convention Centre on Oct. 15. Figueiredo said the death was confirmed by a picketing worker who had been in contact with some of the replacement workers.

“I made some efforts to reach out to anyone who knew the family so that I could offer some help and support,” said Figueiredo.

“It wasn’t until October 25th that I was able to meet with the surviving family members and really try to help them navigate any benefits that they would be entitled to as a result of a workplace fatality.”

Figueiredo said a lot of questions remain about what happened to the worker, who had recently come to Canada from Bangladesh, along with her family. She said she did not want to disclose the name of the woman publicly.

“We reached out to Occupational Health and Safety on the 31st to try to get some clarity over what happened, and Occupational Health and Safety informed us at that time that they had never been previously notified of the death,” she said.

Figueiredo said an Occupational Health and Safety officer has since been assigned to look into the death.

In a short statement, Saskatchewan’s labour ministry confirmed that it is aware of the death.

“The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety is aware of the fatality but cannot provide further details at this time,” the statement read.

In a statement, the hotel said management fully co-operated with the police investigation, which determined the woman’s death was not suspicious. The statement noted that reporting the death to Occupational Health and Safety or Workers Compansation Board was not something the hotel believed was required.

“It is important to note that the Heritage Inn reported this tragedy to the appropriate authorities and has been transparent throughout all investigations conducted by the authorities,” the statement read.

“Although, the coroner indicated that no reporting is required for Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) or Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), these agencies advised us that no additional action is required at this time and they will coordinate directly with the police, as needed.”

The statement added that hotel management was “deeply saddened,” by the loss of a valued employee.

“Kindly note that we will not be issuing any further statements on this matter,” the hotel added.

But that isn’t sitting well with Figueiredo, who is questioning the safety protocols in place at the hotel, and whether replacement workers are being adequately trained about potential dangers on the job.

She also wondered how and why the housekeeper had access to the roof of the hotel.

“Although we have a labour dispute going on, and the people working in the hotel are replacement workers – so they’re not union members – we still have a legal certification order in front of the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board to act as these employees’ representation,” Figueiredo said.

“I still feel that I have a legal obligation to ensure that any worker of the Heritage Inn is not in a threatening or unsafe work environment.”

Because of the lockout, Figueiredo said the union has not had access to the hotel to “audit” whether regular health and safety meetings occur, whether employees are concerned about stress on the job, or if there are proper barriers on the roof of the hotel, should an employee need access to it.

“It’s possible the employer is doing everything right. However, I can’t assume that because there has been a workplace fataility,” she said.

At this time, there are no plans for additional talks between the union and employer.

650 CKOM has not yet been able to contact the deceased worker’s family members.