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Mercy Mission: South African Firefighters Go On Strike In Canada Over Wage Dispute, Told To Go Home [Video]

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 23:07 PST, Jun 10, 2016

It started when 301 singing and dancing South African firefighters arrived in Edmonton at the end of May to help Canada put out a massive blaze in Alberta and has ended in some embarrassment.

When they arrived at the Edmonton International Airport in Canada, the firefighters broke into song and traditional dance, fascinating the locals as they prepared for their daunting task, and videos went viral on YouTube.

The firefighters from South Africa went after a tender by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.

According to News24, in a Skype interview, Working on Fire spokesman Trevor Wilson said the fire’s perimeter was almost 1,000 kilometers long, and it took the men a few days to get used to working in the natural forest, but according to him, the team looked strong.

While South Africa was proud to see their men contributing to the effort in Canada – and the locals were happy to have them – things quickly soured, and now their home country may be feeling a tad embarrassed.

Some of the South African firefighters found out that their Canadian counterparts were paid $11 an hour, which they said was much more than they were being paid.

Reportedly, the South Africans would earn the equivalent of $4 an hour for their work, as compared to the Alberta minimum wage of $11.20 an hour. However, it must be noted that accommodation and food were covered by the Canadian authorities.

Working on Fire is reportedly “an Expanded Public Works Program funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs training young people to be wildland fire fighters” in South Africa.

According to Johan Heine, a chairperson on the board of Working on Fire, although the Canadian hourly rate is higher than what they would receive, the local firefighters only receive this while on the fireline.

The firefighters were supposed to stay on for a month after their arrival at the end of May, and the mission might even have been extended for yet another month. However, after the South Africans downed their hoses in a pay dispute, Canada has asked them to go home.

Heine said on Saturday, “The Canadian government has asked us to get them out of Canada as soon as possible.”

However, Heine did add that the team has said they will not leave Canada until they receive confirmation that their pay demands will be met.

“They are demanding their money before they leave, and [that they] get confirmation that they get more money.”

“We all feel very terrible about it,” said Heine, who has been a firefighter himself for 30 years.

Now, a Working on Fire management team has headed to Edmonton Saturday morning and will be traveling with a South African embassy official to Alberta to negotiate on behalf of the firefighters and to pick a date for them to return home.

According to CBC News, Alberta’s Premier, Rachel Notley, has promised to intervene. The news service quoted Notley as saying it was unacceptable to her and her government that the South African workers were receiving wages that did not align with their labor laws.

According to Notley, every firefighter from South Africa or anywhere else will be compensated “in accordance with our laws in this province.”

However, Working on Fire did note the South Africans would have been paid their agreed amounts for every day they were on their mercy mission, including their travel days, preparation days on site, and their rest days. They believe this would have come to more than the wages the Canadian firefighters would earn.

Reportedly, the Canadian firefighters work 12-hour shifts, with three to four rest days in between, and according to Working on Fire, “They get paid $50 from the day they leave… every day, regardless of if they work or not.”

They believe this formula is fairer on the firefighters. Heine now says that once the firefighters arrive home, they will be facing internal disciplinary action over their sudden strike.

“People in emergency services are paramount and are not supposed to strike,” said Heine.

“We would like them to stay, but I think there’s no chance.”

[Image via Working on Fire Facebook page]

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