Today, the Allan Labor government continues its pursuit of implementing the Workcover Modernisation Bill 2023. Every step of the way, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) have raised serious concerns to delay debate on the Bill until such time as working people who have suffered a psychological injury due to their employment are afforded workable options to receive the support they need when they need it most.
It is the position of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union that Labor should scrap the Bill and increase premiums to ensure workers who are injured at work continue to receive the support they need.
The AMWU notes that Workcover premiums have not increased since 2008 and have not been above 2% for over 20 years. The scheme could be financially sustainable by putting premiums up to 2.5-3%, which is where they would be if they increased commensurately over the years.
This shift could not be more urgent.
The AMWU strongly supports the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Victoria’s Mental Health System (RCVMHS), which calls for establishing mentally healthy workplaces.
It is our position that workers, employers, and unions must be supported to collaboratively foster positive mental health outcomes in the workplace, with prevention and early intervention as guiding principles.
The AMWU calls on the Allan government to make employers responsible for causing these types of injuries and more accountable to the system.
The reality is we are not there yet, and dismantling core components of the current Workcover compensation scheme for workers who have suffered a psychological injury is out of step with the values of the Victorian Labor Party.
The Workcover scheme has deteriorated, with Victoria having the lowest premiums in the country. Companies have been allowed to price gouge and make massive profits, leading to inflationary pressures on workers.
The AMWU believes employers can more than afford to pay modest increases. We urge the Victorian government to rethink its position to modernise the scheme until such time as meaningful preventative and early-intervention measures can be adopted, with employers contributing more to the system.
Quotes Attributable to AMWU Victoria State Secretary Tony Mavromatis
“Employers must take the responsibility to prevent Mental Health Injuries in the workplace.”
“By reducing benefits, the Cost of Mental Health injuries is being placed on the shoulders of workers, who have been failed by employers, who caused the injury in the first place. This simply is unacceptable.”