BY KEITH LACEY
Greater Sudbury has become a world leader in promoting health and safety, but that hasn't changed the fact far too many Canadians are losing their lives and limbs on the job, said United Steelworkers (USW)international president Leo Gerard.
Thirty and 40 years ago, Inco Ltd. was losing as many as 20 workers each year, said Gerard, who made the long trip from USW headquarters in Pittsburgh to speak at the annual International Day of Mourning Saturday in Sudbury.
Sudbury was the first community in the world to hold an official Day of Mourning ceremony, following the tragic underground death of four miners two decades ago.
More than 100 countries around the world now participate in ceremonies on April 28 and that's something everyone in this community should be so proud of, said Gerard.
Gerard spoke at a public ceremony at Tom Davies Square as well as a union ceremony two hours later at the Steelworkers Hall on Frood Road.
To show how far the issue of health and safety has come in Sudbury's mining industry, Gerard pointed out CVRD Inco's Garson Mine last year received a national award as the "safest mine in Canada" with more than two million man hours accumulated without a single lost time accident.
"Sudbury has led the rest of the world when it comes to health and safety," said Gerard.
Gerard said he was "thrilled" to have CVRD Inco Chief Operating Officer Mark Cutifani attend Saturday's event.
This is the first time, to his knowledge, a senior management official from one of Sudbury's mining giants, has attended a Day of Mourning ceremony, said Gerard.
He thanked Cutifani for attending a day that means to much to so many.
Gerard acknowledged he usually orates a fire and brimstone speech at the annual Day of Mourning ceremony, but told a crowd of about 200 gathered at Tom Davies Square this year he wanted to reflect more on the many successes accomplished here in Greater Sudbury.
"Sudbury has become an oasis in a sea of despair," he said.
Everyone committed to health and safety issues in the workplace across this community should be proud of their hard work in reducing fatalities, industrial disease and serious injury on the job, said Gerard.
There's so much good news about health and safety in this community, however, the fact remains far too many people across Canada and around the world are being killed or seriously injured on the job, said Gerard.
"No worker should go to work and not come home as healthy as when they went to work...unfortunately, that's not the case far too often," he said. "Today is a day to mourn for the dead and fight like hell for the living."
More than 300 Canadians were killed on the job in 2006 and 6,000 suffered serious health consequences due to industrial disease, said Gerard.
While numbers continue to decrease, that's far too many lives being lost unnecessarily and too many people are having lives cut short because of where they work, he said.
"We've come a long way...but there's still so much to do," he said.
Other speakers at the public ceremony, included Greater Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez, Nickel Belt MPP Shelley Martel, Local 598 Mine Mill/CAW president Rick Grylls and Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress.
