Substance use policy still a concern

WORKPLACE incidents involving substance use are taken seriously in health care settings.

But a punitive, one-size-fits-all policy applied by Interior Health Authority (IHA) has long been the subject of challenges by HEU.

A policy grievance filed in 2014 claimed the policy discriminated against employees with substance use disorders, prescribing a disciplinary approach, failing to assess them as individuals, and intruding on their private, public, and medical lives.

In 2018, an arbitrator ruled in the union’s favour, saying the policy was flawed and must be suspended immediately pending a major overhaul.

But HEU representatives advise members to remain cautious when confiding in their employer.

“Most of these cases begin with absenteeism,” says Elizabeth Mielke, HEU director of member services for the Interior. “A member will be called in to talk to their supervisor, and if there’s any mention at all of substance use, anywhere in their life, it can trigger this process.”

The policy allows the employer to remove the worker from their job, send them for an assessment with an addictions specialist chosen by the employer, and impose residential treatment, followed by two years of invasive medical monitoring, all under a stringent “returnto-work agreement.”