Fort McMurray Fire: South African Firefighters On Strike Over Pay
Huffington Post Alberta
By Sarah Rieger
06/09/2016 3:59 pm EDT
Three hundred South African firefighters in Fort McMurray, Alta., have gone on strike over a pay dispute.
The firefighters arrived in Alberta just over a week ago to tackle an out-of-control wildfire that has been burning in the region for a month.
Some 300 of the firefighters failed to arrive at work Wednesday.
Bitiro Moseki, one of the Fort McMurray firefighters, told CBC News he was disturbed by reports in the media that his team was being paid $15 to $21 per hour — rather than the $15 per day they are actually being paid.
But Moseki added: "We are not here for money, we are here to assist you."
The average salary for a firefighter in Alberta is $33 per hour.
The firefighters work for Working on Fire, a South African organization that provides job opportunities for young men and women from marginalized communities.
They have been working 12-hour days, with 14 days of work and three days off.
The firefighters were told they will be paid an additional $35 a day when they return home, but Moseki worries that money is not guaranteed.
“We feel very bad and we don’t know what to do [about] the situation. What I’m hoping to happen is for them to pay us, that’s what I’m hoping for,” he told Global News.
"We are not here for the money, we are here to assist you."
The Alberta government says the firefighters are contracted through the Government of South Africa, who determines the rate of pay.
"We’re paying that rate. It’s our understanding these firefighters are being paid what they agreed to before they arrived but if there is a disagreement here, it’s between the firefighters and their employer and not with the Government of Alberta."
By Sarah Rieger
06/09/2016 3:59 pm EDT
Three hundred South African firefighters in Fort McMurray, Alta., have gone on strike over a pay dispute.
The firefighters arrived in Alberta just over a week ago to tackle an out-of-control wildfire that has been burning in the region for a month.
Some 300 of the firefighters failed to arrive at work Wednesday.
Bitiro Moseki, one of the Fort McMurray firefighters, told CBC News he was disturbed by reports in the media that his team was being paid $15 to $21 per hour — rather than the $15 per day they are actually being paid.
But Moseki added: "We are not here for money, we are here to assist you."
The average salary for a firefighter in Alberta is $33 per hour.
The firefighters work for Working on Fire, a South African organization that provides job opportunities for young men and women from marginalized communities.
They have been working 12-hour days, with 14 days of work and three days off.
The firefighters were told they will be paid an additional $35 a day when they return home, but Moseki worries that money is not guaranteed.
“We feel very bad and we don’t know what to do [about] the situation. What I’m hoping to happen is for them to pay us, that’s what I’m hoping for,” he told Global News.
"We are not here for the money, we are here to assist you."
The Alberta government says the firefighters are contracted through the Government of South Africa, who determines the rate of pay.
"We’re paying that rate. It’s our understanding these firefighters are being paid what they agreed to before they arrived but if there is a disagreement here, it’s between the firefighters and their employer and not with the Government of Alberta."
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