Mary Shortall, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, is calling for review of the legislative process afforded to employers and injured workers in the province.

After Workplace NL announced they would be maintaining their current employer discount rate thanks to a surplus in the injury fund, the Federation became concerned.

Shortall says the statutory review that is legislated every five years was tabled just this past summer. The last review was seven years before that, with very few recommendations being implemented over that time.

She says one of the recommendations that came out of that review was to increase the income replacement rate for injured workers, from 85 per cent to 90 per cent, effective January 2022.

Shortall argues there has been a surplus for the last several years, but a steady decline in assessment rates, totaling nearly $50-million.

She says it is odd that Workplace NL dictates employer assessment rates, when it is legislative change that is needed to change the income replacement rates for injured workers.

Shortall says the fact that the income replacement rate is reduced, along with the fact that there is a cap on earnings, puts fault on injured workers.

She says lowering assessments to get rid of a surplus before a legislative decision is made to increase income replacement rates of injured workers is not okay by the NLFL and others who represent the workers.