Contract talks aimed at ending a strike at Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board appear to be stalled.
The strike by 3,600 members of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union is now entering its third week.
Working conditions, workload, staffing and wages are among the key issues behind the work stoppage.
Union president Harry Goslin says they have not heard from the employer since Sunday.
“Last Sunday, we were bargaining in person,” says Goslin.
“WSIB refused to meet with us to receive the union’s full pass, full counter on all outstanding matters. We have not heard back from WSIB since Sunday night.”
Goslin says it might require action from the Ford government to get negotiations back on track.
“To do what’s right and what’s good for WSIB workforce, good for the organization and good for the Ontarians we serve. When the workers who deliver the various services Ontario relies on are struggling, it has an unavoidable impact on service delivery. I know we can do better. We have to do better,” says Goslin.
In the most recent update from WSIB, the agency says it continues to provide services using non-unionized employees and hundreds of others who chose not to strike.
The union claims there is a backlog of 20,000 claims resulting from the work stoppage.
WSIB disputes that.
