NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. – The B.C. Federation of Labour (BCFED) is calling for better safety protections for British Columbia workers after the recent death of a restaurant employee in the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster. BCFED president Irene Lanzinger offered condolences to the victim’s family and colleagues in a March 31 news release. “This death, along with many others so far this year, [is] a sign that more needs to be done to protect workers,” said Lanzinger. “Health and safety protections are weak and not always rigorously enforced. Employers whose negligence kills or seriously injures workers are let off with a slap on the wrist.” Lanzinger also criticized the Christy Clark government’s cuts to WorkSafeBC benefits and its offering of WorkSafeBC’s large budget surplus as a bonus for employers, when that money should be funding better workplace safety protection and enforcement. “All workers must enjoy the basic right to health and safety protections at work and to come home safely to their families at the end of their shift.” The fatality occurred on March 22, when a Rivers Reach Pub employee fell onto a meat slicer while it was being repaired, according to local media reports.