If an injured worker tells their case manager that the employer is
mean and their work environment is awful, that statement is unfair-ly
taken at face value and held against the employer without a meet-ing
or discussion. Currently, It seems there is a tremendous slant in
favour of the worker. One employer has been trying to appeal a file
for over a year, but the WCB will not release a file copy, making it al-most
impossible to appeal. There are currently some workers that
are sabotaging their Return to Work plans and yet nothing is done
about it, even with evidence to support the allegations. Employers
are being held to unrealistic expectations, while workers do not
have to follow any regulations if they kick and scream loud enough.
Employers are expected to sit there, take it and get their WCB pre-miums
increased. Employers are being challenged at every turn and
their concerns are falling on deaf ears. The current climate at the
WCB is not employer friendly and the Saskatchewan Government is
currently not doing anything about it.
Employers’ rights are not being respected. Frequently, Injury
Solutions Canada hears from the employers that they can’t get a call
back for several weeks. So, what can you do as an employer? Know
your rights, be firm and don’t take no for an answer. Get to know
the appeals process, if you are uncomfortable with this process,
companies like Injury Solutions Canada Inc. can do this for your
firm. Ensure your firm is present at public events like Rate Setting
in October or the Annual General Meeting in May and make your
concerns known. The WCB system can only be challenged in the
Court of Queen’s Bench if an employer feels strongly enough about
how they are being treated and that the WCB Act 2013 is not be-ing
followed. Lastly, I encourage every employer to write to Minister
Don Morgan, Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Workers’
Compensation Board, and state their concerns while giving con-crete
examples.
We need to work together and pressure the government to change
the current climate at the Workers’ Compensation Board. The sys-tems
of Workers’ Compensation are a necessity and can be a great
and fair system when it works properly. But sadly the system is cur-rently
broken. The Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board
needs a serious overhaul with some significant employer input and
independent oversight built in.
INJURY SOLUTIONS
The systems of Workers’ Compensation are a necessity
and can be a great and fair system when it works
properly. But sadly the system is currently broken.
50 Think BIG | Quarter 4 2018 | saskheavy.ca
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