Ontario Workers and advocates welcome changes to WSIB drug policy

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan. 25, 2017) - The Ontario Federation of Labour applauds the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board's (WSIB) move to make its drug formulary policies accessible to injured workers in Ontario.

Far too many injured workers were kept in the dark when it came to which medications the WSIB would cover to assist them in their recovery. Monday's announcement that the WSIB is publishing their drug formularies will take the guessing out of the equation and is a sign that the WSIB is taking action to be more open and transparent in their policies and practices.

"This move to ensure that injured workers are provided timely access to the medication they require is a welcome step in the right direction," said OFL President Chris Buckley. "There is much more work to be done to restore confidence in the minds of all Ontarians that our workers' compensation system will respond to their needs if they get injured while at work or they suffer from an occupational disease," he added.

Workers advocates, such as those active within unions across Ontario, the relentless pressure from injured workers' groups like the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG), and the tireless work of advocates like the Industrial Accident Victims Groups of Ontario (IAVGO) and all legal clinics, have been essential voices pushing for more openness and transparency from the WSIB. They too should be congratulated for their advocacy on this issue, and for their ongoing push for the rights of injured workers to access the benefits to which they are entitled, said Buckley.

The OFL's www.MakeItFair.ca campaign takes on issues of inequality in the workforce, and coincides with the province's "Changing Workplaces Review." The campaign gives voice to unions' demands for across-the-board changes to the Employment Standards Act and the Labour Relations Act that would improve standards for every worker and make it easier for them to join a union.

The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.