Sunday, 26 February 2012

Injured workers must be looked after

Unions NSW has called on the NSW Government to guarantee that workers 
compensation will not be cut if the financial position of WorkCover deteriorates.

The outgoing WorkCover chairman has signalled that premiums may need 
to rise or benefits may need to be cut to deal with a ballooning multi-billion 
dollar deficit.

Unions NSW Assistant Secretary, Chris Christodoulou said cutting benefits 
to injured workers had to be excluded as an option.

"Cutting benefits to injured workers would be a cruel and heartless way of 
dealing with any potential deficit," Mr Christodoulou said.

"We have seen employers enjoy generous cuts to premiums over the last few 
years during the boom times and Government must not allow them to now 
shirk their responsibilities.

"People who are injured at work have a tough enough time rebuilding their 
confidence and getting their lives back together.

"To penalise injured workers when they're at their most vulnerable is 
unreasonable and unnecessary."

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