Remember Westray, union says

PLYMOUTH, N.S. — There may not be a formal ceremony this year to remember the miners who died in the Westray Mine explosion, but union leaders say they cannot be forgotten.

“The United Steelworkers Union remembers with heavy hearts the 28th anniversary of the devastating loss of 26 miners in the Westray Coal Mine explosion,” said Ken Neumann, the union's national director. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost and their Nova Scotia communities.

While there are many days that mean a lot to workers and unions, Stephen Hunt, United Steelworkers director for Western Canada, says May 9 stands out.

“On that day, in 1992, at 5:18 a.m., a disaster struck the Westray Coal Mine in the tiny hamlet of Plymouth, Nova Scotia. A methane gas explosion and subsequent coal dust explosions ripped through the mine killing all 26 miners working the shift that night. Over the ensuing days, mine rescue teams attempted to find survivors without success,” Hunt recalls. “Eventually the bodies of 15 miners were retrieved but the remaining 11 have never been recovered.”

The USW was in a union organizing drive at the mine at the time of the explosion. Workers had expressed serious concerns about the lack of health and safety they saw, and a lack of response by management and regulators.

Following an inquiry calling for charges against employers whose actions lead to the horrific events, the union spent a decade lobbying Parliament for Criminal Code changes.

On March 31, 2004, after the unanimous consent of Parliament, the Westray Bill became law.