Workers demand action on mental health issues and workload
Workers at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) voted overwhelmingly in favour of giving their union a strike mandate, with 96% support, setting the stage for a potential work stoppage later this month. The Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU), represented by CUPE Local 1750, enters mediation with WSIB management, but major issues over workload and mental health remain unresolved.
Workers sound alarm over workload and mental health
Harry Goslin, president of CUPE Local 1750, says WSIB employees struggle under excessive workloads, with a recent Copenhagen Psychosocial Survey revealing troubling statistics among WSIB employees:
- 43.9% screen positive for anxiety, with 25.1% in the severe range.
- 36% screen positive for depression, with 16.8% experiencing severe symptoms.
“These results show that WSIB employees are struggling, and management’s refusal to meaningfully address workload concerns is unacceptable,” Goslin says.
On Tuesday, the union and WSIB agreed to work with mediator Brian O’Byrne, chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
WSIB spokesperson, Christine Arnott, says “the parties committed to remain engaged in mediation with the assistance of the Ontario Labour Relations Board for the duration of the process. We remain optimistic we will be able to reach a fair and reasonable agreement.”
Deadline approaches as strike threat looms
The most recent contract, a deal reached in June 2023, expired on April 30. If both sides fail to reach an agreement by May 16, and WSIB imposes terms, union members say they are ready to strike.
This situation mirrors the last round of bargaining, when the union also secured a strike mandate before reaching a last-minute deal. That agreement lasted only two years, and Goslin says the union wants a longer period of stability this time.
“Our preference has been to do at least a three-year contract,” Goslin says. “That was WSIB in the last round of bargaining that wanted a one-year contract, and the parties ended up settling at two years. We don’t want to keep going through this uncertainty.”
Canadian Occupational Safety will follow the negotiations and bring you crucial updates as necessary.
