Published at 1:15 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
When the teenager she was caring for at home made a sudden move to move her away from him, Aïcha Goupil immediately felt a pain in her right thumb.
“My thumb went back. “All the ligaments in my hand burst,” she says.
On the way to the emergency room with her sore hand, Ms. Goupil had no idea that this workplace accident of November 28, 2019 would not only threaten her, but would also cost her her career, her finances, her autonomy and her sense of security, and her mental health. .
I resist, but it's difficult. There are days when I can't take it anymore. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of constantly asking for help. I never imagined that a person injured at work in Quebec could experience something like this.
Aicha Goupil
The problems cascaded. His hand injury required quick surgery. But the pandemic pushed it back by more than a year.
“I was operated on too late,” Ms. Goupil said. During the operation, a small nerve was pinched, which affected my entire nervous system. »
Financial difficulties
Ms. Goupil, who had no health problems before this accident, now suffers from CRPS Type 1, an uncontrollable and disabling pain in her right hand, which is her dominant hand. She is treated with ketamine every six to seven weeks, which reduces pain sensitivity. She also has recurrent vagal shocks.
The Commission on Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) will pay Ms. Goupil benefits equal to 90% of the net salary she was receiving at the time of the accident. She receives $861.70 every two weeks, less than minimum wage.
“My place costs me $1,125 a month and it has no heating, nothing. I am raising my 17 year old daughter alone. I had to sell my car and there is almost no public transport in Lévis. I have a bill at the clinic for $966 that I can't pay. I’m afraid of claiming social assistance,” says Ms. Goupil.
The interest of employers
Marc Bellemare, former Minister of Justice and lawyer specializing in accidents, especially in cases involving the CNESST, notes that the compensation that the CNESST pays to many injured workers is often not enough to cover basic needs.
“Often people work in low-paying jobs and wait to find something better. You suffer an accident at work and may then have to receive benefits below the minimum wage for the rest of your life. They may be doomed to a life of financial poverty, even if their abilities are far superior. »
PHOTO YAN DOUBLET, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVE
Former Minister of Justice and lawyer specializing in accident issues, Marc Bellemare
Me Bellemare points out that Quebecers often do not realize that the CNESST is a mutual employer insurance policy.
Employers have a financial interest in all matters. They often use their rights vigorously. Although these are public funds, in reality they are employer funds.
Marc Bellemare, former Minister of Justice and lawyer specializing in accidents
Unlike, for example, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), the employer is a partner in the CNESST files. “The employer has just as many rights as the employees. »
The CNESST and the employer can also have employees examined by a doctor of their choice. “A person's condition can be debated medically, there may be four or five doctors who have a different opinion. But the CNESST often uses retired, very conservative doctors who spend ten minutes with the person and determine that their condition is not that bad. »
The law that governs the CNESST dates back to 1985 and is extremely complex, he says. “There is a lot to be done there so that the injured can lead a humane life. »
Learn more
4.1 million total number of workers subject to the labor protection system
Source: CNESST Annual Report 2022
233 220 Number of employers participating in the CNESST plan
Source: CNESST Annual Report 2022
3.4 billion employer contributions to the CNESST plan in 2022
Source: CNESST Annual Report 2022