A gathering took place at Simon Fraser University (SFU) campus in Burnaby, British Columbia, on Thursday to honor a 61-year-old custodian who passed away while on duty and to advocate for improved working conditions for other contracted custodial workers.
Kulbir Kaila suffered a heart attack during her shift at SFU’s Burnaby campus on July 28. Her family asserts that the stress and workload she faced were contributing factors to her untimely demise.
Palbinder Johal, Kaila’s sister-in-law, mentioned that the job demanded extensive work due to the campus’s vast size, with Kaila responsible for maintaining multiple buildings and frequently moving between locations during her shifts.
Having served at SFU for nearly two decades, Kaila’s niece, Gurpreet Samra, also noted the challenges her aunt encountered, expressing that Kaila had confided in her about the job-related stress.
Both Johal and Samra participated in a vigil organized by Contract Worker Justice @SFU and CUPE Local 3338, advocating for an end to outsourcing cleaning and food services at all three SFU campuses.
Appeals to Cease Third-Party Contracts
Shaneza Bacchus, the president of CUPE Local 3338, emphasized that Kaila’s passing underscores the heavy workloads and precarious situations faced by contracted custodial workers across SFU’s campuses in Burnaby, Surrey, and Vancouver.
Bacchus pointed out that workloads have increased following a series of layoffs last year, affecting numerous marginalized, immigrant women, and people of color performing physically demanding tasks, many of whom are over 50 years old.
Cleaning services at SFU are outsourced to Best Service Pros, a Coquitlam-based company specializing in janitorial and maintenance services.
The call is for SFU to bring these workers in-house to ensure workplace dignity, equity, and safety, according to Bacchus, who highlighted that a 2022 report by Contract Worker Justice @SFU raised concerns about unfair treatment, unsafe practices, and substandard pay for outsourced workers at the university.
The university expressed deep sadness over the tragic loss of a Best Service Pros worker, emphasizing the importance of maintaining safe and healthy environments.
Regarding the conditions of Best Service Pros cleaning workers, the university directed inquiries to the organization itself.
The incident is under investigation by WorkSafeBC and the B.C. Coroners Service, with the hope from Kaila’s family that her passing will bring about meaningful changes.
Best Service Pros stated its full cooperation with authorities, extending condolences to Kaila’s family and initiating safety audits, reviewing safety equipment and materials, and adjusting workloads and schedules as needed.