TRADE UNION ISSUES IN CANADA
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY
INTRODUCTION
An important issue for workers and their trade unions is health and
safety in the workplace. Health includes freedom from physical
injury but psychological health. Psychological health requires not
only absence of psychological injury, stress, fear etc. but a state of,
physical, psychological and spiritual well being. It was believed by
many that post-industrial society would develop technology and
economic abundance that would enable workplaces to meet the
health needs of workers. This has not occurred.
Physical injuries can have many causes, including exposure to
heat, cold, radiation, chemicals, dust, smoke, noise, corrosive or
poisonous liquids and gases etc. Injuries are caused by lifting,
falling, contact with moving parts of machinery, falling objects,
explosions, vehicles etc. Ergonomic factors create repetitive strain
injuries such as tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Physical
injuries, and even death, can be sustained by violence intentionally
inflicted by co-workers, managers, clients, customers, patients, and
strangers.
Psychological injuries can be caused at work by sexual, racial and
other harassment, bullying, threats of dismissal or reduction of
hours of work, job insecurity due to intensification of work by
management. Managers themselves can be subject to
intensification of work and the related adverse physical and
psychological effects.
A sense of meaningless and boredom in work can be a stressor
along with lack of interaction wit others as e-mails and other
computer communications replace work that used to involve inter1
personal contact. Durkheim described the phenomenon of anomie
as an outcome of industrialization, Marx referred to alienation,
while Weber talked of cultural disenchantment. While these are
not precisely synonymous, each refers to life lacking meaning or
purpose; (see the glossary of terms at the end of Godard’s text
as well as Chapter 2). Note that Durkheim saw anomie as a
temporary phase caused by industrialization. Weber saw
bureaucracy as the primary cause of cultural disenchantment and
the price paid for the efficiencies of bureaucracy. The cure would
seem to be less bureaucratic organizations, and greater
empowerment of workers. Marx held that the internal
contradictions of capitalism were an obstacle to avoiding alienation
and that a radical restructuring and ideology of work – including
ownership by workers was essential for healthy workplaces.
THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT
Good workplaces active participation and democratic control
of work process. Bad workplaces are authoritarian and
alienating.
Forces shaping Canadian workplaces
Wages working conditions depend on the labour market power of
parties and government involvement in setting and enforcing
minimum standards.
1980s and 90s High unemployment and under-employment.
Movement of production to low labour cost areas across the globe.
Retreat from state intervention
Restructuring and intensification of work to promote productivity
and less emphasis on “good jobs”.
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Casualisation of peripheral work: e.g. Walmart with no full time:
no long term benefits or universities and colleges hiring sessional
instructures on short term contracts with no benefits beyond
salaries, which are less than those of regular faculty.
Downsizing, contracting out of non-core functions, increased
overtime and part time work.
Productivity boosted by capital equipment. Elimination of lower
level supervisors.
While innovative work practices are frequently reported in
academic journals and the popular press, their overall
incidence is low. Self-directed work groups and flexible job
design are the exception rather than the rule. Only around
10% are self-directed by employees. Around 32% of Canadian
workplaces have flexible job design but frequently these apply
only to some employees in the organization.
Studies show possibility of using technology for more
interesting work but often work conditions deteriorate with the
onset of new technology. An example is auto assembly plants
but Heather Menzies identifies other examples in her work
“Whose Brave New World? The Information Highway and the
New Economy”. See also:
“Globalization and the Decline of Social Reform” Gary Teeple;
“Work Industry and Canadian Society” Harvey Krahn and
Graham Lowe.
These are on Library Reserve.
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Core jobs are full time but many contracted out are
precarious, for flexibility.
Peripheral work provides limited access to training, collective
bargaining. One third of total market Routinized, boring,
precarious. Students, recent immigrants, women, less educated.
Reduction in manufacturing jobs. In high tax countries jobs are
social service work like day care, elder care, schools etc. Canada is
a low tax country with social services delivered privately.
Canada minimal minimum wages and standards. European workers
have collective agreements. Not a barrier to high productivity.
Women close to 50% and two income families the norm. Double
burden on women.
Higher education qualifications produces higher expectations for
workers but often they remain in peripheral jobs. While the
economy recovered in the latter 1990s, little public policy has been
enacted to deal with workers’ needs.
JOB QUALITY DIMENSIONS
Job security
Unemployment psychologically bad. Stress and low income affect
health.
7% unemployment seems low but counted employed with just a
few hours.
Only 2 thirds are in standard jobs full time.
Long term unemployment low in Canada 17% of unemployed
were for over 6 months. But tend to move among low paid jobs
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Physical conditions
1998
Nearly 800,000 recorded injuries. Manufacturing – 20% of
employment 40% of injuries.
Cancer causing.
See heavy work firefighters.
Stress in jobs Not recognized by worker compensation boards.
Tuesday, February 28, is the internationally-recognized Repetitive
Strain Injury Awareness Day. On this occasion, the Canadian
Labour Congress is urging the federal government to follow
through with promised new regulations to prevent the scourge of
workplace injuries known as RSIs (repetitive strain injuries).
THE PROBLEM
One of every ten Canadian adults (more than two million
people) reported RSIs serious enough to limit their normal
activities, according to a Statistics Canada survey from
2000/2001. The same study found most of these injuries were
caused by work-related activity. “Canadian workers are suffering
from repetitive strain injuries in epidemic proportions,” says
Marie Clarke Walker, executive vice-president of the
Canadian Labour Congress. “RSIs impact workers, their families
and the economy. We cannot ignore such a debilitating yet
preventable workplace hazard any longer,” she says.
RSI describes a range of injuries that affect the muscles, nerves
and tendons. Common examples include tendonitis and carpal
tunnel syndrome. Symptoms include aches, pains, tingling,
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swelling, loss of joint movement and strength in affected parts of
the body. Unchecked, these symptoms can lead to crippling
disorders that make work or even normal life impossible.
THE ECONOMIC COSTS
Aside from the emotional strain for affected workers and the
families who see them suffer, the economic costs of these injuries
are also staggering. Estimated at $26 billion each year, much of
this is paid for by taxpayers in the form of health care and income
assistance and not by employers who operate unsafe workplaces.
The Canadian Labour Congress, which represents over three
million workers across the country, received the commitment from
the previous federal government that changes to the current federal Hazard
Prevention Regulations would be introduced.
LEGISLATIVE INTERVENTION
According to Clarke Walker, a working group with representatives
from labour, federal employers, and the Federal Department of
Labour spent almost two years working out a plan for new
regulations which, if implemented, would mark a major leap
forward in the prevention of workplace repetitive strain injury
(RSI).
“British Columbia and Saskatchewan already have regulations.
Keeping the promise to bring in new rules at the federal level will
encourage other provincial and territorial governments to act so
people no longer have to work and live with preventable pain and
suffering,” says Clarke Walker.
The Canadian Labour Congress, the national voice of the labour
movement, represents 3 million Canadian workers. The CLC
brings together Canada's national and international unions along
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with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 137
district labour councils. Web site: www.canadianlabour.ca .
Contact Jeff Atkinson,
613-526-7425 and 613-863-1413; communications@clc-ctc.ca
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