Union says little change has come from 'Westray Law'

Leaders with the United Steelworkers lay a wreath at the Westray Monument in New Glasgow, N.S. in honour of the 26 miners killed in the May, 1992 explosion. (CTV Atlantic)

Most Maritimers are familiar with the Westray Mine disaster but a national union says little has been done with the workplace law that came out of the tragedy.

Leaders with the United Steelworkers laid a wreath at the Westray Monument in New Glasgow, N.S. Monday afternoon in honour of the 26 miners killed in the May, 1992 explosion.

The Westray Law was passed 11 years later in 2003, to examine and possibly charge corporations and executives after a workplace death.

Since then, the union and the Westray Families Group say more than 9,000 Canadians have been killed on the job and not one executive has spent a day in jail.

“We’ve been fighting for 22 years to get accountability and to have this, this bill passed in 2003 and it’s still not being enforced. What do you have to do?” asks Debbie Martin of the Westray Families Group.

The union will speak at the Pictou County Council meeting Monday evening, before travelling across the country to speak with provincial attorney generals about the Westray Law.