HALIFAX, NS – When Canadians are injured on the job, they rely on the expertise of workers from the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB). If those workers are too overburdened, the care injured Canadians depend on is delayed. That was the topic of the recent WCB employee conference attended by members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, National Union of Public and General Employees, and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
Taken together, these three unions represent WCB workers in Canada’s ten provinces and three territories. The specific challenges facing employees across the country differ – but the conference heard evidence that workers at WCBs are struggling with overwhelming workloads, inadequate support and training, and a lack of collaboration between management and unions.
All employers have a legal duty to protect their employees’ health and safety. WCBs are not exempt from this. Yet WCB workers – including case managers who ensure injured workers get fair compensation as well as safety trainers who offer best-in-class on the job instruction to keep workers safe – report rising levels of anxiety, stress, and depression driven by excessive workloads and consistent understaffing. All of this points to a crisis in the safety net of Canada’s WCB, one that could imperil the well-being of all workers if it is not addressed.
Laura Snow, President of the Compensation Employees Union/NUPGE said, “It is inexcusable that staff are prevented from doing the kind of job that they are capable of because of employer indifference to creating manageable workloads.”
Nova Scotia Government Employees Union President and host of the event, Sandra Mullen said, “We want to ensure that the system remains focused on safety and prevention but ensures comprehensive and fair coverage for injured workers.”
The unions have decided to hold their respective Provincial Legislative bodies accountable for the lack of safeguards designed to protect working people from the devastating impact of excessive workload. Each compensation organization is full of talented professional staff that routinely work extended days because they care deeply about the wellbeing of the clients they serve.
OCEU/CUPE 1750 President, Harry Goslin said, “We leave this conference with the view that Provincial Governments must expand existing compensation legislation to help those suffering from the effects of work overload. Governments must also take tangible steps to strengthen prevention and enforcement to better protect the wellbeing of all workers.”
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For more information, please contact:
www.ceu.bc.ca / www.oceu.ca
Laura Snow 604-278-4050 / Harry Goslin 905-676-0030
