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General
Occupational Health and Safety
Big business attacks OH&S
The push by big businesses to overhaul the federal workers' compensation scheme could put the health and safety rights of workers at risk says the ACTU.
A report today that large employers are pressuring the Rudd Government for a new lower-cost federal workers' compensation scheme is of serious concern say unions.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:
"This proposal by big business would undermine existing workers' compensation schemes and could lead to lower safety standards.
"Many working families could be left with lower compensation payments from a cheaper federal scheme.
"Injured workers could also be left out in the cold with limited legal rights under a new federal scheme.
"The current federal scheme, Comcare, has few workplace inspectors, a poor enforcement record and was set up to deal with a limited range of industries and occupations.
"Under the Howard Government workers' health and safety rights in the commonwealth jurisdiction were stripped back and large private companies were allowed to join Comcare and escape the state-run systems.
"The result of these actions by the Howard Govt is that State-run compensation systems have been undermined and Comcare is now without the resources to effectively ensure compliance and enforcement of workplace health and safety laws.
"This new push by big business for a low-cost federal scheme is also likely to push up premiums for small and medium sized businesses that remain in State-run systems.
"National figures show a 10% rise over the past five years in the number of workplace fatalities in Australia that are covered by compensation.
'We need to be lifting workplace health and safety standards and rights to compensation for injured workers, not lowering them," said Ms Burrow.
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