Housekeepers injured in B.C. bus rollover forced to make risky, long commute: union

The majority of people who were injured in a bus crash in northern B.C. last week were immigrant women who were forced to travel to work in unsafe conditions, according to the labour union representing them.

UNITE HERE Local 40 says the 30 bus passengers worked as housekeepers for Coastal GasLink’s Parsnip Lodge near Prince George, where they also used to live before management moved them out earlier this year.

On June 16, a charter bus carrying the housekeepers to the worksite of the natural gas pipeline project rolled over on Firth Lake Forest Service Road near Hambone Road, injuring 18 people.

In a statement issued Monday, the president of UNITE HERE Local 40 blamed Horizon North, the hospitality company that manages the lodge, for putting the safety of its housekeepers at risk.

“This never should have happened. Workers told management that this was not safe,” said Zailda Chan.

Speaking to CTV News on Tuesday, Chan explains that her union had filed a grievance against Horizon North in March, when management unilaterally decided to move housekeepers out of the lodge to make room for more pipeline workers.

“It was shortly before Ramadan, which is relevant because a number of the workers are Muslim and were concerned about not being able to access food between fasting periods,” Chan said, adding most of the group is made up of new immigrants from Somalia and Ethiopia.

In an email to CTV News on Tuesday, Horizon North said it was instructed by clients to take “temporary measures to move an operations team” because lodging onsite was at peak capacity. The company also disputes the number of employees that were on the bus that flipped over, claiming there were only 24, not 30.

The team in question was relocated to housing about two hours from the campsite, according to Chan, meaning the employees had to bus up to four hours each day for work.

“The fact that the company relocated them two hours away, had them travel for so long, I think really speaks to how little they were valued,” Chan said.

By moving the housekeepers, Chan says, Horizon North breached a provision of its collective agreement with the union, in which management agreed to provide onsite accommodation for the workers.

The union and management are still in arbitration over the contract breach, according to Chan who says the final hearing happened one day before the bus rollover.

“One would hope that would weigh on the mind of the arbiter,” said Chan.

The union is hoping the legal action will lead to onsite accommodation being reinstated for its members.

Hours after the accident last Friday, Horizon North wrote on social media that it was launching a full investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

“Our immediate priority is the safety and wellbeing of our employees and ensuring they receive the medical attention and support they need,” the post reads.

On Tuesday, the company clarified that it will not be allowing any daily bussing of its operations teams to or from Parsnip Lodge amid ongoing investigations.

“We are cooperating with the RCMP and other government agencies in their investigations as well,” the statement reads.

As of Sunday, all but one of the affected individuals had been discharged from the University Hospital of Northern B.C., which had activated a ‘code orange’ protocol in response to the rollover.

Chan says the group that was on the bus is “very shaken up.”

“Some suffered concussions, some suffered broken bones. One person thought that was going to be the end for them, others are replaying the incident in their head, over and over. They’re nervous about getting back on a bus,” she explained.

Once they recuperate, Chan suspects many of the housekeepers will return to work, but she isn’t sure when.

“They really need to be prioritized in terms of making sure they have housing on site and that their health and safety is prioritized moving forward,” she said.

In its most recent statement, Horizon North insists it is taking the health and safety of its employees very seriously.

“We have been in touch with each affected employee to offer any further assistance that would help ensure their health and wellbeing,” the email reads. “In the meantime, we are in talks with UNITE HERE Local 40 through the arbitration process, which is unrelated to transportation safety.”