General news

Union members played a major role in shaping these changes to the Industrial Relations Act, which include the ability for employers to be prosecuted for unsafe workplaces. 

The changes include: 

• New enforceable workplace safety rights – workers will have stronger tools to hold employers accountable for unsafe workplaces, including making it mandatory to meet or exceed safety codes of practice. The changes also expand union right of entry powers to inspect and collect evidence of unsafe workplaces, and allow for employers to be prosecuted for unsafe workplaces. 
• Supporting injured workers to return to work safely – injured workers will have new rights to dispute being forced to return to work when it is unsafe to do so. 
• New accountability for the work health and safety regulator – new powers to hold the regulator to account to ensure they uphold their responsibility to enforce safe working conditions. 

Dangerous workers comp changes still on the cards 

Unfortunately, the NSW Government’s commitment to strengthening these health and safety laws don’t extend to its workers compensation scheme, with a Bill still before parliament that would make it harder for seriously injured workers to get the long-term care and support they need. 

The FSU made a submission earlier this month for the upper house inquiry, outlining the proposed impact on finance workers and calling on the government to scrap its planned changes. As it stands, the proposed legislation would raise the threshold for psychological injury support – to a level that would shut out 95% of workers from accessing long-term mental health care. 

Submissions may have now closed, but there’s still time to put pressure on your local MP – you can email your MP here and tell them not to leave any worker behind.