FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 3, 1999
Unions and injured workers don’t have full confidence in WCB
EDMONTON – The chairperson of Alberta’s Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) greatly misrepresented the position of organized labour when she said at a news conference yesterday that none of the WCB’s stakeholders support a public inquiry into the Board. Audrey Cormack, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, says that despite Mary Cameron’s comments, most unions and injured workers in the province do not have full confidence in the WCB. "In her news conference, Ms. Cameron gave the impression that all of the WCB’s so-called stakeholders – including injured workers, unions and employers – are opposed to the idea of a public inquiry," says Cormack. "She also gave the impression that all of the stakeholders are satisfied with the way the Board is working – that we have no concerns. Unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth." Cameron held her news conference yesterday afternoon to respond to growing criticism of the Board and increased pressure for a public inquiry into the way the WCB operates. Last month, an injured worker gained widespread sympathy for his call for an inquiry when he staged a hunger strike outside the WCB’s Edmonton headquarters. Pressure for a public inquiry also mounted after a judge in Medicine Hat ruled that the WCB’s system for adjudicating claims was stacked in favour of employers and against injured workers. "Ms. Cameron is obviously trying to reassure the public and restore confidence in the WCB," says Cormack. "I don’t have a problem with her expressing an opinion that an inquiry is not needed. But I do have a problem with her saying that the labour movement is satisfied with the WCB when clearly we are not." Cormack’s concerns about Cameron’s comments are shared by many other leaders and activists within the labour movement. For example, members of the WCB Coalition – a group of leading union health and safety activists who act a watchdog of the WCB – have said that Cameron doesn’t seem to be listening. "We have met with Ms. Cameron personally and we have participated in good faith in an on-going review of the WCB’s policies," says Coalition chairperson Gerrie Dakers. "Right from day one, we have made it clear that we think there needs to be major changes at the WCB. That’s why we were so surprised to hear Ms. Cameron’s comments. I don’t know how she can say that everyone is satisfied." Both Cormack and Dakers say that something needs to be done to make the WCB more open and accountable to the public. "A public inquiry is only one vehicle that could be considered," says Cormack. "Alternately, we might want to look at the introduction of an independent ombudsperson who would have the power to investigate complaints about the WCB. A third option might be a limited public inquiry that looks only at the areas of administrative practice that have caused most concern – like the medical panels and the appeals process. "No matter which approach is deemed most appropriate, we need to do some major re-thinking about the way the WCB operates. But we’ll never be able to properly address the problems by denying that they exist." While Cormack and Dakers both say they have concerns about some of the administrative practices that have been adopted over the years, they stressed that they still support the basic principles upon which the WCB was founded. "What members of the Board have to realize is that this is not a witch hunt," says Cormack. "Unions and injured workers in this province don’t want to abandon the WCB – we want to fix it and make it more accountable to the people it’s supposed to be serving, as per it’s mandate." Cormack concluded by saying that Cameron’s refusal to acknowledge public complaints or consider a public inquiry may actually end up hurting the WCB. "By circling the wagons and refusing to acknowledge that problems exist, she may further reduce public confidence in the WCB. That may, in turn, lead to more pressure to scrap the WCB system entirely and replace it with some kind of market oriented model that puts the interests of private insurance companies before the interests of Albertans," says Cormack. "That would be a tragedy for the WCB and it would be a tragedy for all working Albertans."
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