Canadian Sikhs to fight Govt's anti-turban policy | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Canadian Sikhs to fight Govt's anti-turban policy

None | ByPress Trust of India, Vancouver
Oct 20, 2005 01:06 PM IST

Govt has decided to make wearing hard hats madatory in various longshore sectors such as building, fishing, construction and lumber industries.

Faced with the threat of losing employment in various longshore sectors, some Canadian Sikhs are fighting the government's decision to make mandatory wearing of hard hats while on job, which they say will go against their custom of wearing the turban.

HT Image
HT Image

Avtar Singh Dhillon, who earlier fought for and won the right to ride a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, is along with other members of the community, now up in arms against a new hard-hat policy that he says has limited the jobs available to baptised Sikh longshoremen like himself.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Dhillon, Amarjit Singh Sidhu and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have filed a grievance with the BC Maritime Employers' Association over new safety regulations making hard hats mandatory in several union jobs, 'The Vancouver Sun' reported.

"The turban is very important for the Sikhs in history," Dhillon was quoted as saying by the paper. "This is an issue all over Canada for Sikhs in the building industries, fishing industries, construction industries, lumber industries. We want to solve this problem."

The Sikh workers have also won the right to be heard on the issue before the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

A longshoreman for a decade, Dhillon said the April hard hat policy meant that some of the jobs he used to have access to on the waterfront are no longer available to him, it said.

However, Frank Pasacreta, president of the employers association, said the new hard-hat policy is an attempt to make the waterfront safer by reducing workplace accidents.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On