The Manitoba Federation of Labour's Occupational Health Centre conducted a five month pilot project from November 1995 to March 1995 on women's occupational health support for action groups. The goal of the project was to develop and pilot a support for action group that focused on workplace health issues affecting women arising from the current economic situation and consequent changing workplace. The pilot project focused on RSIs. The report has just been released. The occupational health support for action group model is based on studies of occupational stress and the importance of social support.
Workers often progress from feelings of stress to self-blame to feelings of powerlessness.
Occupational stress groups with a worker agenda are designed to combat these feelings, providing workers with the opportunity to share with each other their workplaces experiences and frustrations. By recognizing their common experiences, workers are able to move from self-blame to taking action and feeling a sense of power. These are the exact opposite of management oriented stress groups which teach workers how to cope with stress rather than to fight its causes. They left the group committed to taking action on workplace health issues. A multinational chemical company is pressuring our federal government to approve a synthetic cow hormone that Europe, Australia and New Zealand refuse to accept.