More than 80 people participated in this
year's 16th annual vigil organized by the Women of Inspiration injured
workers' support group. It was the second held online due to the
pandemic.
In
opening the program Maryam Nazemi, one of the
vigil's founders, emphasized the critical importance that all workers
be covered by Workers Compensation, pointing out that currently in
Ontario some 1.7 million workers do not have coverage, leaving them
without protection when injured or made ill at work. Many of the
workers designated as
essential during the pandemic are not covered by WSIB. Why, if they are
considered essential, are they not working in healthy and safe
workplaces, with proper PPE, testing, paid sick days and time off to
get vaccinated, she asked. Maryam has been fighting for the last
seventeen years to have a workers' compensation program that covers all
workers since herself being injured at a workplace which wasn't
covered.
This demand was further addressed by Cynthia Ireland from CUPE Local 1750,
representing WSIB employees. She pointed out that many of those who are
not covered are workers in fields such as personal care, who face
higher risks of becoming ill at work during the pandemic. She announced
that a Universal Coverage campaign will be
launched July 29.
Gagandeep Kaur, a CUPW member-organizer in Peel who works with the
Warehouse Workers Centre spoke about the work they are doing to
organize precariously employed workers to defend their rights under the
conditions of the pandemic. While in workplaces like Canada Post
workers have the protection of a union, thousands work in similar
warehouse settings through temp agencies with no collective defence
organizations. Some 45 per cent of Amazon parcels go through the Peel
region, she said, and there have been more than 500 workplace
outbreaks of COVID-19 in the region. Warehouse workers do not have
space to social distance, employers violate safety guidelines and
testing has never been easily accessible. Workers only got access to
vaccines when they stood together and demanded them. She pointed out
that the problems brought to light by the pandemic existed long before
it started and concluded that the crisis of the pandemic has brought
workers closer and if we stand and organize together we can turn the
tide in our
favour.
Ontario Federation of Labour President Patty Coates brought
greetings to the vigil and emphasized the immediate priority to
have all workers in the province covered by a compensation program that
takes care of them quickly and fairly. Two of the Women of Inspiration, Heather Cherron and Alicia, rounded out the
program with their songs.
This article was published in
June 7, 2021 - No. 54
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2021/Articles/WO08543.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
