11:46 pm, Tuesday 26 February, 2013

South Australia – Unions welcome the State Government’s announcement of the WorkCover Improvement Project.

SA Unions secretary, Janet Giles said unions were promised a review in 2010 and is glad that it’s finally in progress.

“A whole series of changes were made to WorkCover in 2008, which we were told would make the scheme more efficient and get people back to work sooner.”

“But the opposite happened.”

“The South Australian scheme has the worst return to work and treats people more fairly,” said MS Giles.

She said she has had meetings with the Minister for Industrial Relations, John Rau, and is looking forward to discuss the project.

“We welcome his statements that more needs to be done to reduce the number of workforce injuries and improve the experience of injured workers,” she said.

SA Unions is making a formal submission to the Project. The union is also represented on the Workers’ Rehabilitation and Advisory Committee.

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12:47 pm, Monday 5 November, 2012

South Australia is set to join other States in implementing the new safety laws in January 2013 (read SafetyCulture report) and unions say this move will mean safer workplaces and tougher penalties for businesses which put people’s lives at risk.

SA Unions State Secretary, Janet Giles say the Work Health and Safety Bill which has passed through the Legislative Council will enforce much tougher penalties for workplaces safety breaches. She also said the new laws clearly states that employers should ensure safer workplaces.

“For the first time in South Australia, working people will have the right to call in their union representatives to do random safety checks – a right that applies in every other state in the country,” said Ms Giles.

The new work safety bill will also require health and safety representatives in every workplace to have stronger trainings.

“Unions have been campaigning for better safety laws for years because people continue to die or be seriously injured at work,” says Ms Giles.

“It’s a tragedy when someone leaves home to go to work and simply never returns to their loved ones.”

“It’s taken three years of negotiation, and we now look forward to seeing these new laws put into practice.”

“Thanks to the sensible support of the Greens, Kelly Vincent and John Darley, we will have new safety laws in place on 1 January 2013.”

“They rejected the ridiculous scare tactics of Rob Lucas, and with the government, put working people first,” she said.

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12:51 pm, Wednesday 17 October, 2012

South Australian unions welcome new safety laws saying workers will be better protected when these laws pass through State Parliament.

SA Unions State Secretary, Janet Giles says working people are happy that the Greens and Independent John Darley have decided to support the Government’s Work Health and Safety Bill.

“This has been sitting in the Legislative Council since April 2011 – and was the subject of three years of consultation before that,” says Ms Giles.

“We are grateful that the Bill will now get through Parliament and become law.”

“We have been working on better work safety laws for years, and we have continued to push for them because people continue to die or be seriously injured at work.”

“It is a tragedy when someone leaves home to go to work and simply never returns to their loved ones.”

The Work Health and Safety Bill includes much tougher penalties for safety breaches and gives working people the right to ask their union representatives to conduct random safety checks.

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11:47 am, Wednesday 8 August, 2012

A country-wide survey conducted by Essential Research has revealed that almost one in three young individuals have been bullied or have witnessed bullying at work.

SA Unions State Secretary, Janet Giles said the survey presented significant statistics on the rate of workplace bullying.

“Thirteen percent of people between the ages of 18 and 34 said they had been bullied at work, with another 19% having witnessed it.”

“We know from our other work with young people that they are less familiar with their rights at work, and are more often in part-time or casual work where they worry that if they speak out they will lose their jobs.”

What’s most concerning about the survey is that 65% of the bullying is reported to have come from employers or managers.”

“This figure rises to 74% for those in part-time work.”

“These are people with the power to hire and fire, increasing the likelihood that young people will feel intimidated into remaining silent.”

“We clearly need stronger national laws against bullying to stop it happening in the first place, rather than dealing with it when it has already occurred.”

Anne Purdy of the Young Workers Legal Service, said they took 450 calls during the last financial year, with a large number dealing with workplace bullying.

“We see this as a major occupational health and safety issue for young people.”

“It is a dreadful thing to happen to them in what is often their first job, and the cases we have seen reveal young people suffer depression, anxiety and are unable to work as a result.”

“We have seen some cases where this behaviour is excused as some kind of work ‘initiation’.

“But it is wrong, and it leaves young people feeling that all work involves bullying, and they become afraid to try again in another job.”

A summary of the results can be accessed through the SA Unions website.

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10:05 pm, Wednesday 23 May, 2012

South Australian unions are giving their support behind a Green’s plan to ensure that older workers over 65 are covered by workers’ compensation.

SA Unions State Secretary, Janet Giles believe that as retirement age grows, there will be some people caught in the gap between when they can claim WorkCover benefits for an injury and when they can retire officially.

“Under the existing rules, people can only claim WorkCover benefits up until the age of 65 but the pensionable age will rise to 67 in 2017.”

Ms Giles said that as WorkCover go through a major overhaul, it is essential that this small change is passed to make sure that older South Australian workers are protected.

“Our first preference is always that people are not injured in the first place, but we need to have decent support systems in place if they are.”

“This is a sensible amendment and I urge all Members of Parliament to support it.”

A news release by SA Unions explained that the amendment will change s.35 of the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1986, so that there is gradual increase in the relevant age to match the incremental increase in the qualifying age for the age pension.

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11:48 am, Thursday 26 April, 2012

A project to commemorate people who have been killed in industrial accidents was launched on the 20^th April by Minister for Industrial Relations, Russell Wortley.

Families of South Australians who lost their lives as a result of workplace accidents have supported the project to create a special quilt which will tour the State to increase awareness of work safety.

The Life Quilt Project will commemorate the lives of 10 people who died at work. SA Unions State Secretary Janet Giles says that ten people died in workplace accidents in South Australia for the past twelve months, while thousands more were injured.

“No family should ever have to go through the trauma of losing someone they love in a workplace accident. The tragedy is that so many could have prevented if proper health and safety procedures were in place.”

Sue Morley, project manager and textile artist said that the Life Quilt has been a year-long project from around SA contributing to the making of one metre by two metre quilt.

“We have also had wonderful support from the Country Women’s Association, whose members made some of the decorative flowers for the quilt.”

Sandra Dann from the Working Women’s Centre said that the project has created a life quilt which reminds us that families lose loved ones in work accidents and that it is important to remember them.

“The quilt, the stories of families and a series of short films will be used to spread awareness of the importance of safe workplaces but also the need for ongoing support for the families.”

The life quilt will be displayed at conferences, seminars, workshops and community events around South Australia to promote the importance of work safety.

The Life Quilt Project is supported by SA Unions, Working Women’s Centre, Arts SA, Australian Safe Communities Foundation and Effective Australia.

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