You Have A Right To Safety and Income Security At Work

In its first year the Harris government rolled back health and safety and workers' compensation.

Here are some examples:

• Eliminated the Workplace Health and Safety Agency

• Reduced the number of staff in the Health and Safety Branch of the Ministry of Labour

• Eliminated union and injured worker representation on the executive board of the Workers' Compensation System

• Introduced a law that will allow companies to expand the mandatory hours of work beyond the current maximum of 48 hours a week.

We have been fighting back. And we have had an effect!

The Harris government had announced plans to reduce health and safety inspectors, industrial hygienists, and ergonomists. They backed off. None will be laid off. They had planned to introduce further cutbacks to WCB by the summer. Those changes have been delayed.

But over the summer they're preparing to take on Ontario workers with more rollbacks. Companies want them to eliminate the right to refuse unsafe work, and gut the workers' compensation system.

Basic Health And Safety Rights Being Eliminated

But at the urging of business, the Harris government is slashing health and safety protection. They have eliminated:

• support staff at the Ministry of Labour that provide the assistance to ensure proper safety inspections and enforcement in the workplace.

  These cuts include:

1. $ 50% of all engineers and doctors

2. $ all nurses

3. $ all air quality technicians

4. $ all program managers

5. $ closed three out of four occupational health and safety laboratories

• the Workplace Health and Safety Agency which did health and safety training throughout work places in Ontario, including the Ontario Northland;

• mandatory inquests previously required when a worker is killed at work in the mining and construction industries.

CORPORATIONS WANT CHANGES THIS FALL THAT WILL: eliminate the right to refuse unsafe work eliminate the requirement for joint health and safety committees in the workplace revise the appeal process for inspectors decisions

The Harris government has a plan (the Jackson Report) that will roll back the workers'compensation system more than 80 years. If not stopped, it will become law this fall.

It will:

• privatize workers compensation - give employers control of your compensation claim for the first six weeks including access to your medical files. Employers, private insurance companies and their medical consultants will control whether you return to work and be able to force you to see their doctor.

• cut payments for injuries from 90 per cent of take home to 85 per cent;

• cut cost of living protection for comp - if inflation is 4%, you will get only 1% - if inflation is 8%, you will only 3%. Maximum inflation protection is 4% for 10% inflation and over.

• eliminate compensation for some injuries and cut allowable claims for repetitive strain, muscle and back injuries, and occupational diseases;

• gut the appeal system, and much more

The new law will take billions out of the pockets of injured workers and their families and put it in the hands of the employers. It will give companies control over workers' comp claims. This is unacceptable to working people. It will be introduced within months unless we act now and act forcefully.

WORKERS NEED MORE PROTECTION -- NOT LESS The Harris government will transfer $ billions from injured workers to employers arguing that they can't afford the costs of compensation and health and safety. BUT LOOK AT THE FACTS: Fact: Ontario is competitive. The province, for example, had more new investment in 1994 than ever before and investment continues to grow strongly; Fact: Corporations operating in Ontario are more profitable than ever. GM of Canada, for example, raked in $1.4 billion in profits last year. That's 54% of their North American profits and more than any other company in Canada ever; Fact: Employers fund the WCB. It has more than $8 billion of money and investments. It's not in debt and has never borrowed money. Last year it had a surplus of $510 million. There is no financial crisis.

Stop The Elimination Of Health And Safety

And Workers' Compensation Rights

Harris must:

• keep the right to refuse;

• enforce safety - stop layoffs in the Ministry of Labour;

• scrap the Jackson Report on Workers' Compensation;

• maintain funding for the Workers Health and Safety Centre and Occupational Clinics for Ontario workers;

• set up a commission with a representative panel to hear submissions on improving compensation for injured workers and proposals to improve health and safety regulations, enforcement mechanisms and training.

• Wear a black ribbon and/or put one on your car aerial

• Support your union's and local injured worker organization's actions for health and safety in the workplace and justice in workers' compensation

• Write your community newspaper, write and/or visit your MPP, tell your neighbours and relatives what's going on

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