Campaign against changes in Workcover

By Michael Bull

MELBOURNE -- A rally of about 500 workers demonstrated in front of Parliament House on December 3 over the state government's proposed Workcover changes. The Victorian Trades Hall Council called the rally to coincide with the amendments to the Accident Compensation Act being discussed in parliament that afternoon.

The proposed amendments fall into three main categories. First, psychological injury which results from ongoing pain, disfigurement, restriction of movement or loss of function will be separated from the injury itself and somehow discounted, as though a person can be divided into mind and body which don't interrelate.

Secondly, the Workcover Authority will unilaterally decide that workers should be earning money, even if nobody will employ them, and reduce their payments by the phantom amount that the authority thinks could be earned.

Thirdly, lump sum payments over $5000 will be replaced by monthly payments. This is likely to result in some workers losing their family homes as they can neither pay a lump sum towards the mortgage nor meet the mortgage payments. Monthly payments may also affect eligibility for social security benefits.

VTHC is planning another rally in mid-February, when the legislation is due to be discussed in the upper house. The Victorian branch of the CFMEU (construction division) will begin a campaign on both government and commercial projects to force the employers to take out further insurance to cover these changes. The national union is also investigating the possibility of setting up a national insurance scheme to cover all building workers.

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