Work accidents caused by aggressive customers towards employees of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) have been increasing since the end of the pandemic, show data obtained from the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety. of work safety (CNESST).
At least 60 injuries attributable to violence caused by a client were recognized by the CNESST for the year 2022, more than in the previous two years. This is almost as much as in 2019 (64), while ridership in 2022 was only 70% of the pre-pandemic level.
Data for 2023 are not yet available; the CNESST will release it for all Quebec workers on April 28.
The STM, for its part, has already admitted that attacks against its employees had increased from 2022 to 2023, by 6%. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, since only assaults recognized by the Criminal Code, such as assaults, threats and harassment, are included in its data.
The violence inflicted by customers has led to a surge in employee complaints to the CNESST, show data provided by the STM this week.
Of the 348 attacks reported to the STM in 2023, 160 were the subject of a complaint to the CNESST. They will obviously not all be accepted by the Commission, but they represent an increase of 45% compared to 2019 (110 requests for compensation).
The CNESST data only reflects cases accepted as work accidents by the Commission. The lesion (injury or illness) must have been diagnosed by one of the recognized health professionals (doctor, specialized nurse practitioner, dentist, optometrist, pharmacist) and a client must be the main cause.
Over the past five years, 279 work accidents have been attributed to customer violence at the STM. In 92% of cases (258), psychological, not physical, violence was the cause. Psychological violence includes shouting, insults and threats, intimidation and simulating acts of violence.
With more than 237 million trips recorded in 2022, the STM is, by far, the largest urban public transport service in Quebec. It is also the one that records the most workplace accidents due to customer violence (83% in five years). The transport companies of Outaouais, Laval and Longueuil follow far behind, with fewer than 20 work accidents each.
Awareness campaign launched
Three-quarters of the attacks recorded by the STM against its employees concern bus drivers and special constables, the transport company revealed last month.
The cases compensated by the CNESST represent only part of the problems attributable to customer violence, underlines the union of bus drivers, metro operators, station agents and paratransit drivers (local section 1983 SCFP-FTQ).
About the same number (of members) are transferred to the group insurance side for “professional burnout due to being verbally pushed around by customers.
The union of bus drivers, metro operators, station agents and paratransit drivers (local section 1983 SCFP-FTQ)
The STM launched an awareness campaign on Monday to encourage customers to respect its employees. “Léna likes to help people, not contemptuous comments,” says one of the posters showing a constable.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY THE STM
A poster from the awareness campaign launched on April 16 by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).
The transport company is not able to detail the financial impact of work accidents caused by customer violence, but “beyond the costs, we have employees who cannot work”, recalled a STM spokesperson, Isabelle Tremblay, in a telephone interview. “If there are fewer attacks, there is less absenteeism, that helps. »
The awareness campaign was created in response to a recommendation from the joint union-employer committee.
It “could have an impact” on absenteeism “in a year or two”, hopes the bus drivers’ union, for whom this campaign responds to a long-standing request.
On the side of special constables, there are many cases of “injured” when an employee bumps into himself while restraining a person, or receives spit or blood, but “not necessarily a work stoppage each time”, notes the president of the Brotherhood of Constables and Peace Officers of the STM-CSN, Kevin Grenier.
As for psychological violence, it “does not lead to a lot of work stoppages” among its members, perhaps because of their training, but “always manages human misery” in the face of which “we are a little helpless” is not without consequences.
“The guys and girls, I take my hat off to them, they are always there at work, but there are some who you see are worn out. It has a lot to do with morale. »
With the collaboration of Pierre-André Normandin, The Press
Read “Assaults against employees on the rise”
reference: www.lapresse.ca