Well it is about time this issue was taken more seriously at a federal level. This needs to extend to the treatment of injured workers by their employers and insurance companies. And WorkCover can start by cleaning up its own backyard – it is well known that they can’t even control bullying within its own ranks.
Julia Gillard backs laws to fight workplace bullies
Bullying and harassment in the workplace is now the second highest cause of workers’ compensation psychological claims, with 24 per cent of all claims made because of bullying – behind 35 per cent for work pressure. In 2008, NSW recorded the second highest level of workplace bullying after Tasmania.
NEW national laws to stamp out workplace bullying will be considered by a high-level inquiry into bullying and harassment ordered by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
The decision was taken following a government report which revealed bullying and harassment may be costing between $6 billion and $36 billion a year in lost economic productivity.
A national policy to deal with the problem, which experts claim has become endemic, would be developed after the committee reported.
The inquiry would look into how widespread the problem is across Australian workplaces, and whether new regulations or legislation are needed to address it.
Ms Gillard has referred the issue of bullying to the House of Representatives standing committee on education and employment and said she would take a personal interest in its findings: “Bullying at work is a real threat for far too many workers. It needs to end.
”I am taking a personal interest in this inquiry into bullying and will be looking at the evidence and the possible answers.”I strongly support the stand The Daily Telegraph is taking on this important issue.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/julia-gillard-backs-laws-to-fight-workplace-bullies/story-e6freuzr-1226367391578
About Workcovervictims
We are the authors, co-authors, seriously injured workers and invisible supporters (incl. abled family members and friends) behind A Diary of a WorkCover Victim.
We hope this site, our and many other injured workers’ stories will somehow help other injured workers navigating the murky waters of the workcover system, and, at the very least, teach you to be extremely diligent in finding out your legitimate rights, always questioning the “system” in order to keep some sort of control within the workcover system.
The workers compensation is – in our opinion- extremely adversarial and they use tactics to wear you down, to make you emotionally bleed out, to break you, all in order to weaken your position and to maximise their insane profits.
As I prepare to give testimony at the workers compensation inquiry on Monday, I am reminded of a recent story that highlights the contempt some employers have for injured workers (and it comes from my former employer who still haven’t dealt with workplace bullying issues).
Boss apologises for ‘oxygen thieves‘ email slur
A CHUBB Security boss was forced to apologise to workers and undergo counselling after circulating an email describing injured cash-in-transit guards as “oxygen thieves
This, I will argue is a good reason why anti-bullying laws should be applied to the treatment of injured workers. Many insurance companies also treat injured workers with the same contempt. Why is that? And what purpose does it serve in helping injured workers return to work? I actually believe, and there is evidence to support it, that it makes matters much worse and actually delays recovery.
I am absolutely stunned at what I am reading. I thought it was only happening to us, I didnt realize it was rife. It’s so hard to find someone who will listen. We have had to fight them alone. My husband was a loyal Chubb employee till he was injured on the job then began our nightmare. Your posts have encouraged me to fight on, thank you!
Things haven’t changed, here’s part of my recent testimony at the Workers Compensation Inquiry Page 78 I hope your husband was not one of those injured workers referred to as an ‘oxygen thief’
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/committee.nsf/0/3669d4dd25549a10ca257a0d001e86ba/$FILE/120528%20Corrected%20transcript__1.pdf:
In too many cases injured workers report that employers do everything they can to stop you from returning to work—I think that was mentioned also by the previous people—and that insurers attempt to bully
them and their treating doctors into treatment schedules rather than more medically accepted treatment standards. In fact, a recent example of this comes from my former employer Chubb Security, which highlights the contempt many employers, I believe, have for injured workers. This came out on 13 May 2012: “Chubb
Security boss apologises for ‘oxygen thieves’ email slur”. The article states that “A Chubb Security boss was
forced to apologise to workers and undergo counselling after circulating an email describing injured cash-intransit
guards as “oxygen thieves”. It goes on to say that the email was sent by Chubb’s national security manager Brian Lee, when responding to a request, “You don’t have anyone there on workcover who can pick up
one of my guys from Airport on 2nd May?” He responded, “I have plenty of oxygen thieves, but they can only work limited hours, so I may need to use a couple of them depending on the amount of time needed.” The article goes on, “The remark referred to guards injured during cash-in-transit robberies or those on restricted duties because of post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Wife of a beaten down x Chubb employee
Please, if you or your husband need someone to talk to about these issues please contact me on (02) 9749 7566 or email: john.mcphilbin@injuredworkerssupport.org.au
Thank you John for your words of encouragement.
It’s amazing that after all these years the culture within Chubb security services hasnt changed at all! It’s criminal what they do to people. Woe betide anyone who makes a formal complaint against them to the Chubb ombudsman. You won’t be afforded procedural fairness and the testimony of people in support of the bullied victim will conveniently be left out of their findings! Their findings will conveniently blame you for all the trouble. “your not surprised” I can hear you say.
By giving this inhuman mistreatment a voice, maybe one day someone will bring change within those kind of dangerous workplaces.
Psychological bullying is the worst kind of bullying because it’s always much worse than the victim can describe. The families and children watch helplessly as their loved one is maligned, marginalized, mistreated, punished, bullied, harassed, denied rights,denied medical treatment, denied statutory entitlements and ultimately severely damaged. They breach the law in so many areas that you cant possibly fight every battle at once.
Like you, we won’t rest till there is change. We too will be the voice for those who can’t speak for themselves.
Fight on for justice!
Thank you John for posting this good news!
Also, congratulations on being invited/selected to give testimony at the workers compensation inquiry on Monday! We count on you to bring up those very issues!
It seems to me that attempts to step down payments to injured workers as an incentive to return to work (starve them back into work) has had the opposite effect. Being routinely bullied (by the system) despite being seriously injured or ill has never been the answer – and allegations of a growing ‘lump sum culture’ misses important facts. Who would want to live this way for the sake of a financial gain that is virtually impossible to realise? Getting to a level of permanent impairment that allows for lump sum payments in NSW is virtually impossible.
The IWSN survey (a very robust sample 300 injured workers) and subsequent interviews revealed a number of disturbing findings that counter this so-called ‘lump-sum’ culture amongst injured workers:
A comparision between pre and post injury earnings showed a s substantial drop in earnings
71% thier partner had to increase/take up work in order to cope financially
37% had claims that were currently in dispute
59% of injured workers reported having contemplated suicide as a result of thier injury
55% said their relationships had suffered significantly
34% said they were now separated or divorced
23% had been forced to change thier living arrangements
16% were reliant on welfare and charity for assistance with everyday living expenses
65% reported thier health was ‘much worse’ off than before their work related injury or illness
Yes, bullying in the workplace should be dealt with under criminal law, i was bullied by supervisor, when i reported her to her manager, her manager tried to cover up and ignore me, , so i reported both of them to the general manager, it was than the nightmare really began, i kept going one level up, till i fell on my head, will not rest till i get justice………… Good luck on Monday
John, please let us know how you went today at the workers compensation NSW inquiry! We’ve been thinking about you all day!