On April 27, at the meeting of the National Joint Health and Safety Committee, the Corporation once again invited CUPW to take part in its virtual health and safety conference scheduled in October. We made it clear that we would not participate in this conference as long as CPC uses repressive methods to promote health and safety in the workplace.
Unfortunately, the Corporation is maintaining its punitive approach, but this was to be expected. For example, CPC is imposing disciplinary measures for the slightest breach of its road safety program. CUPW believes that no disciplinary measure should be taken without just, reasonable and sufficient cause. Such measures must also be assessed by an arbitrator, in accordance with the provisions of the collective agreements.
CUPW continues to question Canada Post’s real intentions when it comes to health and safety. We have raised several examples of workplace accidents that went unreported because of supervisors influencing members not to report their injury by offering in-house accommodation instead. This is contrary to the collective agreements, and we believe that the employer is doing this in order to embellish its workplace injury statistics.
What is shocking is that when members need medically supported accommodations because of work-related injuries, the employer cannot find a way to accommodate them. In many cases, the employer does not even follow its own policy or fails to take the necessary steps to respect workers’ right to accommodation. On that subject, CUPW has just won an arbitration decision in Ontario that awarded substantial compensation to an aggrieved member who had been sent home for almost three years.
For the time being, we will only attend collective agreement or Canada Labour Code mandated meetings.
The Union’s view is that education and training is a more constructive and positive way to promote health and safety in the workplace.
Health and safety at work means more than statistics: it’s real!
In Solidarity,
Marc Roussel
National Union Representative
Health and safety