A number of injured worker rallies will be held this Friday in Toronto and in cities around the province on the 36th anniversary of Injured Workers Day . Held on June 1st every year, the event celebrates the gains made through united action, draws public attention to problems with Ontario’s workers’ compensation system that still need to be addressed – and reminds government we cannot be ignored.
Key current concerns are highlighted in the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG) campaign Workers’ Comp Is a Right , with the issues being put to candidates in the run-up to Ontario’s provincial election June 7:
- No cuts based on phantom jobs (end deeming!)
- Listen to injured workers’ treating healthcare professionals
- Stop cutting benefits based on “pre-existing conditions”
Policies and practices such as these are resulting in thousands of workers with a life-long work-related disability ending up in poverty. Research done by ONIWG, as well as academic research, shows that over the last seven years, Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has more than doubled its reserved funds while cutting benefits to workers in half . Download this infographic to share widely – with friends, family and co-workers – and use it as a handout on June 1st.
Injured Workers’ Day events
May 31 – Women of Inspiration Vigil, Toronto [details]
May 31 – Candlelight Vigil, Peterborough [details]
June 1 – Injured Workers’ Day rally & march, followed by all-candidates meeting, Toronto [details – English, Spanish, Chinese]
June 1 – Injured Workers’ Day rally, Thunder Bay [details]
June 1 – Injured Workers’ Day rally, Windsor [details]