The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), an umbrella union organization representing more than 15,000 workers has come out against a recent decision by the Alberta government to withhold information on farm fatalities.

According to the group, the move is an attempt to move the issue off the public radar.

“The decision to cease reporting fatalities is a painful example of how agricultural workers are being erased in Alberta,” said AFL secretary treasurer Nancy Furlong “It’s particularly insulting to the families of those killed on the job to have to call on the government to continue to simply report these incidents.”

According to the AFL Alberta is the only Canadian province where farm workers are excluded from occupational health and safety laws, legislation governing hours of work and overtime, statutory holidays, vacation pay, the right to refuse unsafe work and compensation if they are injured on the job.

“It is the government’s duty to protect workers, but also to report their deaths and injuries,” said Furlong.