Thousands protest EI reforms
Thousands of people turned out to rallies last Saturday in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick to protest the Harper government’s reforms to employment insurance.
Federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair announced he’s taking on the fight to reverse the EI reforms, as well as the invasive new practice of randomly sending fraud investigators to claimants’ homes.
Meanwhile, federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley played word games in the House of Commons, saying that the requirement that each EI fraud investigator recover $485,000 in payouts per year is not a “quota,” but a “target.”
WorkSafeNB under fire from doctors and injured workers
New Brunswick’s agency that administers workers’ compensation came under fire this week when a family doctor alerted the media that the agency often overrules his medical advice and denies help to injured workers. His assertion was echoed by another doctor who came forward and said the chronic denial of medical services from WorkSafeNB has become a human rights issue.
Murray Goodwin, an injured worker currently suing WorkSafeNB for its refusal to cover necessary medical treatments, spoke out as well. His lawyer says there is reason to believe that “the New Brunswick commission is not alone in terms of how people are dealt with.”
Ontario teachers divided on resuming extracurricular duties
The union representing Ontario’s elementary school teacher union said yesterday that despite “respectful and positive” talks with the government under newly minted Premier Kathleen Wynne, it has no intention just yet of telling its members to end their boycott of extracurricular activities.
Premier Wynne had hoped the elementary teachers union would follow the lead of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF), which urged its members to resume leading extracurricular activities after the government said it was willing to renegotiate working conditions connected to the contracts that were legislatively imposed on teachers in January.
Other headlines of note
The trouble with austerity: Cutting is more about ideology than economics
Boost the minimum wage, boost the economy
Labour and community groups rally in support of striking Porter workers
New thinking needed to support workers in unstable jobs
Protect 15 Million Child Domestic Workers say NGOs
Former hospital workers left on the hook after losing appeal
Workers deaths could have been avoided says ex rail employee
Stress Is Killing Gender Equality in Canada
Retirement becoming a distant proposition for many Canadians, survey finds
Ottawa planning budget measures to tackle shortage of skilled trades
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