Industry News News Mills Sawmilling
San Group denies allegations of worker mistreatment, focuses on clearing name

The British Columbia-based San Group is firmly denying allegations of mistreatment of a group of Vietnamese temporary foreign workers.

San Group’s vice-president of business development, Bob Bortolin, spoke directly to CFI, strongly refuting the accusations.

“We deny the allegations 100 per cent. We are going full forward to clearing our name,” Bortolin told CFI.

The allegations were detailed in local news reports, which San Group reposted on their LinkedIn page. In the reposted stories, 16 Vietnamese workers were reportedly found living in a single trailer parked on San Group’s property without electricity or running water. The migrant workers also allegedly paid $30,000 to come to Canada to work at the San Group’s mill in Port Alberni.

“We want to make it clear that we did not ask the Vietnamese workers to pay $30,000 per person to immigrate and work for us like some media reported,” Bortolin said. He explained that $30,000 is a significant amount, equivalent to about five years’ wages in Vietnam, making such a claim highly improbable.

Bortolin provided further context about the recruitment process and the company’s trust in their partners.

“We have complete faith in our [recruitment] partners. None of the people at San Group nor those who facilitated [the recruitment process] have asked the workers for a single dime.”

He mentioned that on Friday, July 5, one of the Vietnamese workers, accompanied by a recruiter who served as a translator, visited the San Group office.

When asked directly if he had been abused or mistreated, the worker unequivocally replied no, explained Bortolin.

He said the company is considering legal action to defend its reputation.

“The owners of San Group are also immigrants, and they know how it is to work in a foreign land, hence they will never think of abusing their employees,” Bortolin added. He emphasized that the company takes worker welfare seriously.

Ongoing investigation

The City of Port Alberni and local authorities are investigating the allegations. The city released a statement on July 3, affirming their commitment to ensuring that the temporary foreign workers’ rights are protected. Provincial and federal authorities have been notified to address the situation accordingly, the statement said.

“Workers coming to Canada must be confident that their rights are protected,” said Mike Fox, chief administrative officer with the City of Port Alberni. “I’d like to thank local agencies involved for their assistance and support for these workers and hope they are receiving the support they need.”

Meanwhile, Bortolin insisted that San Group remains steadfast in its commitment to clearing its name and ensuring that all employees are treated with dignity and respect.