The tragic death of the Filipino worker who was crushed by a machine in an industrial bakery in Ontario, Canada last September 25 prompted labor groups to call for a criminal investigation into the wide use of temp workers.
Enrico Miranda, 57, is the fifth temporary worker to die in an accident at Fiera Foods since 1999, according to a report of The Toronto Star.
This, as the Ontario Federation and Labor as well as opposition critics pushed for a measure that would protect temporary employees, especially those in high-risk jobs, to have more rights under the law.
The previous administration initiated a measure to compel companies to be liable for injuries of temp workers during their duty. However, government failed to create necessary implementing rules and regulations to enforce the new law until it was struck down last year.
The booted law could have held Fiera Foods, a bakery chain that has become notorious thanks to the number of its temp workers figured in accidents in the last 20 years, liable for the death of Miranda.
READ ALSO: OFW crushed to death by machine in Ontario industrial bakery
Journalist Sara Mojtehedzadeh of The Toronto Star first reported the death of Miranda. In 2017, she did an investigative report on the rise of temp agencies that makes workers vulnerable to exploitation and safety hazards at their workplace.
Miranda flew to Dubai in 1988 and worked in the emirate as a civil engineer. Although he was earning enough, he chose to fulfill his simple aspiration: to finally be together with his family.
In 2004, he migrated to Canada to be with his wife Tay, who works there as caregiver. Their sons Richard and Patrick were also petitioned for by Tay in 2009.
For 10 years, however, despite his lengthy experience as a civil engineer in Dubai, Miranda would never land a permanent job in Canada. In his entire stay, he worked as a temporary worker.
According to his family, he had been requesting the company to absorb him as a permanent worker but to no avail.
Until the time of his death, the Filipino also had to swallow the bitter pill of being a ‘temp worker’.
His family and friends had set up a GoFund account to help raise money for the repatriation of his remains to the Philippines.
In an update on the GoFund account on Oct. 5, Miranda’s wife wrote: “In behalf of our family, thank you very much for your overwhelming support. We will be bringing our father back to the Philippines for funeral and burial services next week. Your heartfelt messages and support truly made a difference during this difficult time.” (MN)
