Social employee and NDP warn in opposition to employees’ compensation change to take impact Friday

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Knight said Tuesday she was concerned that the WCB process would force workers to experience their trauma repeatedly and justify its connection to the workplace. That’s what Knight had to do while working as a medic in Saskatchewan for PTSD.

“I had to fight and fight about 18 times and justify and retell my story. I had to tell it to someone on the other end of the phone who couldn’t understand it, and keep calling every day for as long as I wanted to say, ‘This is why I need this,’ ”she said.

She will do without the alleged coverage of which she said gave hope and support to Alberta workers who have suffered trauma at work, and that social workers can face unpredictable situations.

“You are expected to stand up, represent, be present, and witness to people’s pain in the most intimate and vulnerable ways – to hold and support them in the most sensitive and caring ways you can trying to navigate through these systems that don’t necessarily support it, ”Knight said.

But Knight said she was more concerned about health care workers and workers, including oil and sand workers who witness fatal work-related accidents or workers who suffer sexual assault.

“I don’t see them having to fight for the same coverage that I had to fight for,” she said.

NDP labor critic Christina Gray said in a statement Wednesday that workers suffering mental injuries will fall through the cracks with no alleged cover, including healthcare workers caring for people who need and deserve support during the pandemic .