Injured workers launch province-wide campaign to stand up to WSIB cutbacks


TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Despite two years of public and legal scrutiny on the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB), injured workers in Ontario have yet to see meaningful changes in the way they are treated by the system, so are launching a province-wide campaign to stand up for their rights and call for legislative changes. The Workers’ Comp is a Right campaign – simply named because the message is simple – will be launched in Toronto with a press conference at Queen’s Park at 10am.

“For too long, the WSIB has gotten away with violating our rights through cutbacks and austerity, with no accountability,” said President of the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONWIG), Willy Noiles. “We refuse to accept this. We are taking a stand across Ontario to reclaim our rights and work with our allies to call for a strong, public system that truly supports and provides compassion for injured workers while getting back on their feet and on with their lives.”

The WSIB is meant to be responsible for the recovery and wage compensation of injured workers in Ontario, but it is failing in its responsibility. From 2009 to 2015, the WSIB cut total benefits to injured workers by nearly $1.16 billion — a 33% reduction over the six-year period. As a result, some 46% of injured workers with a permanent disability are living at or near the poverty line.

The Workers’ Comp is a Right campaign has three clear demands about some of the WSIB’s primary methods of cutting entitlements and sending injured workers into poverty:

  • No cuts based on phantom jobs;
  • Listen to injured workers’ treating healthcare professionals;
  • Stop cutting benefits based on “pre-existing conditions”

“With this campaign, we again call on all political parties in the province to make injured worker rights a tangible priority,” said Noiles. “And we know we have the backing of all Ontarians who understand the devastating effects of cost cuts on the backs of injured workers, and support our vision for a just system.” 

For more information, please contact:
Aidan Macdonald: 647-833-6722