NSW: IR minister appeals for constructive debate

AAP General News (Australia)
04-02-2001
NSW: IR minister appeals for constructive debate

By Natalie Davison, Industrial Correspondent

SYDNEY, April 2 AAP - The New South Wales government today appealed for a constructive
debate on changes to the workers' compensation scheme, as unions launched a media campaign
and stepped up opposition to the legislation.

Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca today released a statement saying he
wanted a fairer compensation package to protect all workers.

And he said he remained hopeful the state's peak union group, the NSW Labor Council,
would use a four-week consultation period for "constructive debate" over the legislation.

The government has introduced a bill aimed at reducing a $2.2 billion deficit in the
compensation scheme by encouraging injured workers not to take their dispute to court.

But unions have reacted angrily to the proposed changes, claiming they will erode an
injured worker's right to adequate compensation.

Unions were further enraged last week by what they said was Mr Della Bosca's breaking
of a promise to delay the introduction of the proposed legislation to parliament.

The building union and the transport union have already begun mobilising workers to
oppose the changes, with a series of work-site meetings and threats of industrial action
if the changes are rammed through parliament.

The Transport Workers' Union (TWU) today targeted the Sydney offices of WorkCover,
with unionists blockading the front doors of the Kent Street building for about an hour.

TWU state secretary Tony Sheldon said a lack of action by WorkCover on workplace safety
issues meant lives were being put at risk.

"These people won't be compensated the way they were before," he told reporters.

"The reason why their compensation has been downgraded is because WorkCover is refusing
to act to protect them.

"They're refusing to protect a safe place of work and we're demanding that that has to change."

NSW Labor Council secretary Michael Costa said unions today met with Mr Della Bosca
and challenged him to demonstrate how changes to the existing scheme would benefit workers.

The council has cited as key concerns the new US-style assessment scheme, measures
making it harder to access compensation and moves to increase threshold for common law
action.

"We've challenged the minister to demonstrate to us that his claim that no injured
worker would be worse off would be the case under his bill," he said.

Mr Della Bosca said the proposed changes would ensure injured workers gain faster access
to compensation, better treatment of their injuries and an increase in benefits.

"I want a much fairer, faster system which compels the insurance companies to accept
their liability and pay the claims," Mr Della Bosca said in a statement.

Today's meeting came as the Labor Council launched a series of newspaper and radio
advertisements highlighting union opposition to the changes.

And Mr Costa said while the consultation period would continue, unions would not pull
away from their campaign against the changes.

"Those concerns are still there and we'll continue with workplace meetings, advertising
and lobbying parliamentarians," he said.

Mr Costa said unions would meet again with Mr Della Bosca on Wednesday.

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KEYWORD: WORKERSCOMP NIGHTLEAD

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