Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 12, Issue 5, 2010, Pages 707-714

Ethics and the compensation of immigrant workers for work-related injuries and illnesses (Article)

Gravel S.* , Vissandjée B. , Lippel K. , Brodeur J.-M. , Patry L. , Champagne F.
  • a Department of Management, Business School, Quebec University at Montreal, C.P. 6192, succursale Downtown, Montreal, QC H2L 1M3, Canada
  • b Faculty of Nursing, Montreal University, Montreal, Canada
  • c University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada, Department of Law, Center for the Study of Interactions between Health and Environment (Cinbiose), Quebec University in Montreal, Montreal, Canada
  • d Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Interdisciplinary Research Group on Health (GRIS), University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
  • e Department of Occupational Health, McGill University, Occupational Health and Safety, Public Health Division of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
  • f Department of Health Administration, Interdisciplinary Research Group on Health (GRIS), University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada

Abstract

This paper examines the compensation process for work-related injuries and illnesses by assessing the trajectories of a sample of immigrant and non-immigrant workers (n = 104) in Montreal. Workers were interviewed to analyze the complexity associated with the compensation process. Experts specialized in compensation issues assessed the difficulty of the interviewees' compensation process. Immigrant workers faced greater difficulties with medical, legal, and administrative issues than non-immigrants did. While immigrant workers' claim forms tended to be written more often by employers or friends (58% vs. 8%), the claims were still more often contested by employers (64% vs. 24%). Immigrant workers were less likely to obtain a precise diagnosis (64% vs. 42%) and upon returning to work were more likely to face suboptimal conditions. Such results throw into relief issues of ethics and equity in host societies that are building their economy with migrant workers. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.

Author Keywords

Social inequalities Compensation Impoverishment Occupational injuries Immigrant workers

Index Keywords

economics Quebec Wounds and Injuries human ethics middle aged injury Aged ethnology Young Adult Humans Adolescent male Canada Emigrants and Immigrants female Article adult migration Healthcare Disparities health care disparity Workers' Compensation workman compensation Health Services Accessibility health care delivery
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79952048068&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-008-9208-5&partnerID=40&md5=6962a61972c2aec7fc1de4dc0c087237
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-008-9208-5
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 15
Original Language: English