MPA Society members,

We are writing with some important information about health and safety at your workplace.

A recent WCB inspection at Larwill Place identified that the current joint OHS committee structure at the MPA Society does not meet the minimum requirements of the Workers' Compensation Act.

Currently, the MPA Society has one joint OHS committee for more than 40 worksites in Vancouver, Maple Ridge and Abbotsford. The Workers' Compensation Act requires any worksite with 20 or more employees to have a committee, and there are at least four MPA Society worksites where there are more than 20 employees.

This summer, the BCGEU, along with the HEU and the BCNU, met with the employer to discuss potential changes to the MPA Society's joint OHS committee structure.

In these discussions, the BCGEU (as well as the HEU and BCNU) advocated for additional committees to be established so that the minimum requirements of the Act can be met.

Compared to the current arrangement, more committees can be more effective, and able to deal with workplace health and safety issues in a more focused way.

However, we were unable to reach agreement with the employer on a new committee structure. The employer indicated to the Union that they intend to propose a new committee structure (including 2 committees) to WCB for consideration. We will update you as more information about potential changes is available.

Currently, one BCGEU member - Edwin Sangalang - serves on your joint OHS committee. To support Edwin, we would like to identify another BCGEU member to serve as an alternate on the committee.

Being an OHS rep is a great way to make a difference in your workplace and learn new skills. So, please consider volunteering to be an alternate OHS rep! If you are interested, please send an email to [email protected].

In solidarity,

Nicki Pearson
Staff Representative