Someone has to put this insane fire out! I predict many more will join the strike action in coming weeks if the fire isn’t put out shortly. I know I’ll be there. Firefighters across NSW are flagging the biggest strikes since 1956 as the state’s upper house continued debate on reining in WorkCover.
Firefighters across NSW are flagging the biggest strikes since 1956
Firefighters across NSW are flagging the biggest strikes since 1956 as the state’s upper house continued debate on reining in WorkCover.
Jim Casey, the state secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees’ Union, said his members were meeting at 10am (AEST) in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle to decide if a full-scale strike would go ahead at lunchtime.
‘For the first time since 1956, we’ll have done a full walk out,’ Mr Casey told AAP on Wednesday.
As the NSW upper house continued sitting into the early hours of Thursday morning, Shooters Party MP Robert Borsak said he would support changes to rein in WorkCover’s $4 billion deficit.
‘The truth of the matter is the workers’ compensation scheme in its current form is unsustainable and needs fixing,’ the former accountant told the chamber.
Fellow crossbencher Paul Green, from the Christian Democrats, said small businesses paid huge WorkCover premiums, and his party would seek to amend the bill.
‘Little coffee shops are paying huge premiums and before you even open up in the day they’re thousands of dollars behind the eight-ball before they sell one cup of coffee,’ he said.
But Greens industrial relations spokesman David Shoebridge said that under the changes all workers, apart from police, would lose the right to claim for injuries sustained travelling to and from work, a right that dated back to 1926.
‘A construction worker who’s had five days of 12-hour shifts goes home knackered after working 60 hours in five days and crashes their car because they’re fatigued, won’t get a dollar of compensation,’ he said.
The government’s bid to reform WorkCover passed the lower house late on Tuesday night.
Debate in the upper house continued into Thursday morning.
What has Fatty O’Barrel offered the shooters party this time. He has allowed them open slather in National Parks . Will it be Play Grounds Next or Shopping Centers ?
MARK COLVIN: There were dramatic scenes outside the New South Wales Parliament this afternoon, as the state’s firefighters protested against changes to workers comp.
First they hosed down Parliament House with a water cannon; then they deafened the occupants as a convoy of fire engines sounded horns and sirens.
Safe inside the Legislative Assembly, but within earshot of the sirens, the Premier Barry O’Farrell accused the striking firefighters of threatening people’s safety.
Adam Harvey reports.
(sound of horns blasting)
ADAM HARVEY: The New South Wales firefighters made their point loud and clear.
(sound of horns and sirens)
They’re upset at changes to the state’s workers’ compensation laws.
Those changes will save hundreds of millions of dollars but they’ll limit payments to anyone who’s injured at work in New South Wales – including firefighters.
Darin Sullivan’s the state president of the Fire Brigade Employees Union.
DARIN SULLIVAN: Today, for the first time in certainly 56 years, we’ve taken general strike action today. Right now, in Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong, there are no fire trucks; this Premier’s lost control of the fire service and has no response capability to any level where it should be.
JOURNALIST: So what would happen if this building over here caught fire?
DARREN SULLIVAN: The Government, I assume has some contingencies in place.
ADAM HARVEY: Premier Barry O’Farrell said for the moment, other emergency workers are filling the void.
BARRY O’FARRELL: In the case of a fire the response would be made by the Rural Fire Service. In the case of a rescue, New South Wales Police and the Ambulance service will respond.
ADAM HARVEY: The Government says the WorkCover scheme is $4 billion in debt.
It’s trying to hurry changes through Parliament before it breaks today for winter recess, because it says the old scheme is costing taxpayers around 9 million a day.
BARRY O’FARRELL: There was no alternative. The scheme is in deficit and that deficit threatens its future viability.
ADAM HARVEY: Outside Parliament, firefighter Mark Reilly says the new laws also strip cover for injuries outside rostered hours; so firefighters who come across an emergency on their day off, will be exposed if they try to help.
DARREN SULLIVAN: I’ll give you an example at Crows Nest on the Five Ways, a chap on a motorbike got knocked off in front of me about six months ago. Now, when you’re in fire trucks you’ve got warning lights, you’ve got protective clothing, you’ve got reflective clothing, witches hats and so on.
When you’re the first arriving person at a scene such as that you have none of that safety equipment; so now the option for me, with no WorkCover, I will now have to consider my family and if I stop or if I just keep going and make a 000 call and call a fire truck.
ADAM HARVEY: And what do you think you would do if these changes do stay as they are at the moment?
DARREN SULLIVAN: Well unfortunately, being a professional fire officer and a career fire officer of 28 years, I think I would still get out and provide the service. Which is unfortunate because that puts me at risk and it puts my family at risk and my livelihood at risk.
(sound of horns blasting)
ADAM HARVEY: Fire trucks filled Macquarie Street in the Sydney CBD and the firefighters hosed down Parliament with a giant water cannon, to wash down what they described as a political stench.
Barry O’Farrell says he was appalled that they were here in the city, rather than manning their stations.
BARRY O’FARRELL: That is one of the most irresponsible actions I’ve ever heard of from a public sector union in the history of this state.
ADAM HARVEY: Firefighter Grahame Ottley is based at Riverwood.
GRAHAME OTTLEY: We don’t take this lightly when we do this. We’re constantly at the frontlines, seeing dead bodies, seeing things collapse on us, seeing people get injured; we see all that carnage. So when we decide to go on strike, even for a limited time, we realise the risk that we’re taking to do that.
ADAM HARVEY: The Premier’s biggest obstacle isn’t the firefighters; it’s the State’s Upper House, where he doesn’t have a majority.
To push the changes through the Legislative Council, he needs the support of Christian Democrat Fred Nile.
Today, Reverend Nile said he won’t support the laws as they stand.
The WorkCover changes are being debated through the night. If the firefighter protests continue, workers at State Parliament may need to investigate whether the new laws cover industrial deafness.
(sound of horns and sirens)
MARK COLVIN: The sounds of today’s firefighter protests at the New South Wales Parliament House ending Adam Harvey’s report.
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3530708.htm
Duty calls before protest
By Anna Patty
FIRE brigade officers attended a house fire in Sydney yesterday on their way to a demonstration outside Parliament House protesting the government’s controversial changes to the workers compensation scheme.
Fire trucks blockaded Macquarie Street in the city and turned their hoses on Parliament before drowning it out with the sound of blaring sirens.
The government expected its controversial workers compensation laws to pass the upper house last night with the support of the Christian Democrats MP Fred Nile.
A government spokesman said it would not support multiple amendments put forward by the opposition and the Greens. However, it would support those put by Mr Nile including one to reinstate the coverage of journey claims, abolished in the new bill.
The amendment says journey claims will be covered ”if there is a real and substantial connection between the employment and the accident or incident out of which the personal injury arose”.
A house at Campbell Street, Ramsgate, caught fire about 1pm when two fire crews from Hurstville and Kogarah were on their way into the city to protest.
House burns as NSW firefighters strike over WorkCover
NSW firefighters have decided to return to work after striking between 1pm and 6pm today in protest at the state government’s WorkCover reforms.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/house-burns-as-nsw-firefighters–strike-over-workcover-20120621-20pjd.html#ixzz1yTBEkyoH
NSW firefighters are today safer at work due to the solidarity and resolve of FBEU members.
Read more:
http://lefthack.net/fbeu-announcement-and-media-release-fire-stri