BY JENNY LONG
SYDNEY — More than 1500 workers, led by Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union members, and supported by unions affiliated to the NSW Labor Council, marched to state parliament on April 27 to protest against the state Labor government's proposed Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill.
The march, which ended in a rally to mark International Day of Mourning for Dead and Injured Workers, was the latest in a series of protests to oppose the bill. The bill was introduced by state industrial relations minister and ALP right faction heavyweight, John Della Bosca.
The bill will severely restrict access to common law hearings for permanently injured workers and reduce the payments to workers made under statutory settlements of compensation claims.
The CFMEU, the Rail and Bus Transport Union, Transport Workers Union (TWU), Electrical Trades Union (ETU), Maritime Union, Public Service Association (PSA), Australian Services Union (ASU) and firefighters union have so far taken industrial action against the bill.
Additionally, protests have targetted the electorate offices of Labor backbenchers who have not declared their support for Labor Council amendments to the bill. Of the 52 Labor backbenchers, at least 40 have now declared support for Labor Council's amendments.
NSW premier Bob Carr's response to the unions' campaign has been to give full backing to Della Bosca's bill. Carr has threatened Labor MPs who support the unions' campaign with disendorsement. He has blamed the blowout in the Workcover workers' compensation scheme liabilities on workers who "rort" the system.
CFMEU state secretary Andrew Ferguson retorted that the blowout was the employers' fault. Up to 30% of employees in the building industry are not properly insured as a result of contractors understating their wages bill (upon which premiums are paid). Some employers run up compensation bills with Workcover and then go into liquidation to avoid payment. Ferguson's claim was backed by the Australian Workers' Union's Russ Collison and NSW Labor Council secretary Michael Costa.
Building workers across the state walked off the job on April 19 against the bill. Maritime Union members refused to collect fares on Sydney ferries on April 20, and NSW commuters had a fare-free day on April 23 when rail and bus unionists refused to collect fares.
The ETU has placed a ban on lift repairs in the Governor Macquarie Tower, where many government ministers have offices, and in Parliament House. However, trapped people will be rescued from lifts. ETU secretary Bernie Riordan said that he was confident that all lifts would be out of action by the time parliament resumes on May 29.
Firefighters also attended a 1000-strong Sydney stop-work meeting on April 20. Firefighters voted to limit firefighters' actions at commercial building fires to rescuing people and then fighting fires from the footpath only. Following the meeting firefighters and members of the PSA lined Macquarie Street to cheer on 60 fire trucks, with lights flashing and sirens wailing, which drove by Parliament House.
The firefighters April 20 stop-work was sparked by the state Labor government's abandonment of negotiations with their union in a long-running dispute over death and disability benefits payable to firefighters. A number of different superannuation schemes have been introduced for public sector workers by successive state governments that aim to reduce benefits payable to workers. This issue affects all public sector workers — except parliamentarians who retain an extremely generous superannuation scheme — but is particularly pertinent for dangerous work like firefighting.
The 40,000-strong PSA is also campaigning against the bill. PSA members working at the NSW Compensation Court and Workers' Compensation Resolution Service fear for their jobs.
The TWU has also dovetailed its campaign against the bill with its existing campaign to demand that Workcover, which is charged with monitoring and prosecuting workplace safety breaches, address massive safety problems in transport industry, in particular for truck, courier-van and armoured car operators. The TWU has held two sit-ins at Workcover already, and plans a vehicle blockade of the Sydney on May 3.
In alliance with the Labor Council, the Finance Sector Union, ASU and the Miscellaneous Workers Union, the TWU has been campaigning for action to reduce the number of armed robberies in the cash-in-transit industry caused by reduced staff levels, training, security arrangements and the use of unarmoured cars.
The ASU used the rail and bus fare-free day to highlight safety issues affecting commuters and train station staff, who on average can expect to be assaulted one to three times a year, as a result of reduced staffing levels. Station staff have been advised by their union and employer not to intervene in assaults and muggings of commuters on stations, and not to leave ticket offices or collect tickets after dark and when only one staff member is rostered on.
On April 19, a framework agreement was reached between the Labor Council and Della Bosca for negotiations on amending the bill, however no changes have yet been agreed to and the government has refused to withdraw the bill.
NSW parliament is due to meet again on May 29 to debate the budget and the workers' compensation bill. The NSW Labor Council and unions are planning for an all-out strike on that day.