The decision by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) to dismiss a former adjuster has been upheld by a labour arbitrator.
According to a March 02 decision by BC labour arbitrator Nicholas Glass, ICBC fired the adjuster after it was found that he mishandled a number of claims. Most notably, the adjuster ignored a client who was suicidal, refused to take a call from a client aged 79 years old, and turned down acupuncture benefits to a customer who was entitled to them.
Glass also noted that the adjuster, who joined ICBC in November 2016, showed up late for work over a dozen times, acted disrespectfully when given feedback, and was “overconfident and nonchalant about job requirements.”
The arbitrator’s decision said that the adjuster had been suspended three times in one year, prior to being ultimately fired in August 2020.
CBC News reported that the case came to Glass’s attention after the union representing ICBC workers raised its grievances about the adjuster’s dismissal. The union had argued that the insurer had overstepped, and that no misconduct had occurred.
Arbitrator Glass mentioned that several of the incidents cited constituted “serious misconduct” and showed that the worker was culpable. He also said that the union had argued “valiantly” on behalf of the adjuster, but their arguments were not as persuasive.
