This text is part of the special Syndicalism booklet
On the occasion of the international commemoration day for persons injured or deceased as a result of an accident at work or an occupational disease, which took place on April 28, the Central of Democratic Trade Unions (CSD) pleaded for a return to an approach to health and safety at work centered on prevention.
How much is it worth in compensation, not being able to hold your children in your arms anymore because you have back pain? For the president of the CSD, Luc Vachon, who represents around 72,000 workers divided between 300 unions ranging from construction to agribusiness, this is a false dilemma.
“We are debating how much it costs and how to make it cheaper, once there have been injuries, when at the base, it is rather prevention that is at the heart of the first laws and the first debates”, recalls the one who has been at the head of the CSD since 2017.
Consequence of this way of doing things: the conditions of admissibility are reduced, and the cases more and more judicialized, maintains Mr. Vachon.
According to him, the perception according to which the CNESST would amount to a simple insurance plan is erroneous and it is necessary to return to its original mission: to promote good conditions to avoid accidents at work.
Fewer arms, more accidents
But a major obstacle stands in the way: the shortage of manpower, which puts more pressure on workplaces and makes workers more vulnerable to physical injury, according to Mr. Vachon.
This is particularly the case for home support personnel and family-type resources, who take care of people with intellectual disabilities or seniors. These workers, who work in living environments whose conditions are sometimes deplorable and many of whom have also been affected by the pandemic, may have difficulty maintaining the same quality of services. “When you have to work a twelve-hour day […] it is certain that the human side can take the edge…”, adds Mr. Vachon, who notably represents these workers in the private sector.
The scarcity of labor could also have effects on the mental health of employees. And this can be seen in areas where physical risks normally take precedence. “When you see an increase in psychosocial factors in an industry like construction, it’s an indicator of the pressures that exist in other workplaces as well,” says Mr. Vachon.
For him, an increase in wages is inevitable if one aspires to attract employees, in the current economic context. “If we adjust the conditions, we will have more people, therefore a reduction in the workload”, which in turn can help to limit accidents.
When foreign workers rhyme with vulnerability
If more and more companies are hiring temporary foreign workers to make up for the lack of personnel, this cannot be a long-term solution, believes Luc Vachon. “The agri-food and manufacturing sectors call on temporary foreign workers, but it’s to meet permanent needs! he exclaims.
And if it’s not easy to prevent accidents for workers here, it’s even more complex to assert your right to a safe work environment when you’re from Mexico or Guatemala.
“These workers who come with a closed permit [les liant à un seul employeur] are in a situation of extreme vulnerability and this opens the door to abuse,” said Mr. Vachon.
Committee of workers and liaison officers
As part of the modernization of Quebec’s Occupational Health and Safety Act a year ago, interim provisions specifically aimed at prevention were introduced, in particular the establishment of workers’ committees and liaison officers in health and safety in all establishments with at least 20 employees.
These are success factors, according to Mr. Vachon, but they do not solve everything. “There will be more workplaces covered by prevention mechanisms, but when you have an environment where people have few means of action, the majority of the responsibility will still belong to the employer,” laments the trade unionist.
Significantly increasing prevention budgets at the CNESST would represent a real guarantee, according to Mr. Vachon. “We can send checks [en compensation], only one arm remains, it’s a long time to push back. »
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.