TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 1, 2017) - Despite being lambasted in the media and publicly confronted by injured worker groups over the past year, the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) remains singularly focused on cutting its own costs – an endeavor it is achieving by cutting benefits to the very people it was designed to protect. In response, injured workers and their labour and community supporters will take to the streets at 11:30 today, marching from Queen's Park to the Ministry of Labour to make clear that workers' comp is a right.
"When people are injured or made ill on the job, they have a right to be treated with dignity and respect and to be provided with full compensation," said ONIWG President Willy Noiles. "But the WSIB's ongoing austerity agenda means those rights are being violated. The result is thousands of people being thrown into poverty every year when their benefits are slashed."
Today's rally will feature, among others:
- Healthcare workers dealing with workplace violence
- Workers from the Peterborough General Electric factory
- Janice Martell, founder of the McIntyre Powder Project
- Mass support from the entire CUPE Ontario convention
These are all people from different sectors with different workplace issues, but who are fighting back against the same stonewalling and denial from the WSIB. Today, they all come together to unite their efforts and form a common front to challenge an unfair system.
"Injured workers in this province are tired of being mistreated by a system that reduces costs on their backs, instead of a system that actually helps people," Noiles said. "Today, we stand with all Ontario workers in our fight against austerity and in our fight for fairness for those who are injured on the job."
Contact Information:
Willy Noiles
President
289-219-4473