Rachel Notley’s NDP government said Wednesday it has received word from a South African firefighting company that crews have been paid according to Alberta’s labour laws. The announcement follows a pay dispute that led to 300 of Working on Fire Ltd.’s firefighters leaving the Fort McMurray wildfire after only a few days on the job.
READ MORE: 300 South African firefighters to leave Fort McMurray early after wage dispute
“We are grateful that these women and men came to help us in our time of need,” Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Oneil Carlier said in a statement. “We are pleased to get confirmation that they have been paid in accordance with our province’s labour laws.”
Watch below: Coverage of the South African firefighters deployed in Alberta
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Some South Africans leave Fort McMurray fire fight, confusion lingers over pay -
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Fort McMurray wildfire battle gets help from 300 South African firefighters -
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South African firefighters head home from Alberta after wage dispute -
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‘That helps keep us going’: South African firefighters break into song and dance upon arrival in Edmonton
The province said the international wildland firefighters arrived in Edmonton May 29 and were deployed to northern Alberta two days later. The force left Edmonton for South Africa on June 12. A government statement said they were paid in “the same salary range as Alberta wildland firefighters.”
“Working on Fire remains uncertain as to how the dispute started; however, we are investigating the matter further so as to ensure that a similar incident does not reoccur,” the company said in a past interview. “By adjusting for the local cost of living, it becomes evident that the Working on Fire firefighters, deployed to assist with the Alberta wildfires, earn more than the standard Canadian firefighting wages in real terms.”
READ MORE: South African company says firefighters who helped in Fort McMurray paid well
The company previously said it agreed to a flat rate of $172.88 a day for each firefighter it sent to Alberta. The fee included $65 daily in wages and allowances. The balance was to cover medical, insurance, training, travel, equipment and other costs.
But a member of the crew had said they were being paid about $50 per day for fighting the fire in 12-hour shifts.
Working on Fire said the normal daily salary for its firefighters in South Africa would be equivalent to $9.17 in Canada.
That would be less than Notley had said the province would pay according to Alberta law, which includes a minimum wage of $11.20 per hour.
With files from The Canadian Press
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