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Construction unions in Toronto will be pursuing all aspects of this tragedy to try to ensure that the conditions that led to it are fully exposed.
On Christmas Eve four immigrant construction workers were killed and another crippled when the swing stage they were working on broke in two and they plunged 13 storeys. This is the worst construction accident in Toronto since Hogg's Hollow fifty years ago.
The workers from eastern Europe - Alexander Bondorov, Aleksey Blumberg, Fayzull Fazilov, Vladimir Korostin, and survivor Dilshod Mamurov – were deemed to be “subcontractors” by their employer Metron Construction. None of the workers were tied off to lifelines as required by law. In fact, there had been a Ministry of Labour stop work order on the site for weeks due to an unsafe swing stage setup. It is clearly an example of new immigrants being put in harm's way by a non-union company that was cutting corners and breaking the rules.
A union crew of carpenters was brought in on Christmas Day to secure the site - having to work there with two bodies still on the ground was a horrific experience. Construction unions in Toronto have contacted the families and will be raising funds for these families. OFL President Sid Ryan has called on the Attorney-General to pursue criminal charges against the company owner once proof of negligence has been determined.
Labour Council President John Cartwright is calling for a public inquiry to be held to examine all aspects of the relationship between the underground economy and unsafe work that workers are exposed to. Even though these men didn't have the protection of a union at work, they were still our brothers.
- From the Toronto and York Region Labour Council
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