FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 29, 1999Labour endorses hunger striker’s call for public inquiry into WCB EDMONTON – The Alberta government should act promptly to address the growing worker dissatisfaction with the Workers’ Compensation, says the Alberta Federation of Labour. "There are serious problems with the system," says AFL Secretary Treasurer Les Steel. "Workers who have been injured on the job are convinced that they are not being served well by the WCB. In recent years, we have been inundated with complaints of claims unfairly denied, and appeals that have been blocked by an apparent wall of bureaucratic indifference." That’s why the Alberta Federation of Labour is strongly supporting Frank Pagnotta’s demand for a full and impartial public inquiry into the operations of the Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board. "It is a real shame that the only way Frank Pagnotta feels that he, or any other injured worker, can get any justice is to chain himself in front of the Board and go on a hunger strike," said Steel. "If that alone doesn’t convince the government to do something about the WCB – then it will be clear that indifference in the Legislature is a big part of the problem." "The Federation of Labour calls upon the Government to call a public inquiry into the WCB today -–before more injured Albertans are putting their health at risk in an effort to get just treatment."
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