Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 30/02) - A Canadian worker is injured on the job every nine seconds. Every working day in Canada three people die from a workplace accident or occupational disease.

"Should we form a society? An injured workers' coalition?" asks the Northern Territories' Federation of Labour's Steve Petersen. A small group of about six people met last week to answer the question.

The coalition's objective is to deal with the Workers' Compensation Board and various government bodies on employment insurance, Canada pension plan and income support issues as well as to become a part of an existing network of Injured Worker Coalitions across the country.

Effie Brown was injured when she faced falling down a set of airplane stairs at her First Air job. She is in constant pain since the accident and is discontented with the help she says the Workers' Compensation Board owes her. What she wants is a cure for her constant aching and some time to heal - relief for pain she says is debilitating.

"Just help me get better. I don't care any more," said Brown.

She, like most of the members sitting at the table, feels helpless when dealing with a compensation board they find overwhelming. She wants a lifeguard to buoy her through the pools of paperwork and contend with the voice on the end of the board's phone.

And workers' unions, on their own, lack credibility, said Bob Haywood adding that publicity is another benefit of joining together in numbers.

"Let's hit them on all the fronts," said Haywood.