WorkCover hijacked for employers

by Peter Mac

In a move that reeks of muzzling criticism of employers, 38 out of the 
Victorian WorkCover Authority's 160 inspectors have been notified that they 
have lost their positions. A total of 51 inspectors were rejected following 
recent readvertising of the inspectors' positions, and 13 have now been 
redeployed or have taken voluntary redundancy.

Those rejected included some of the most experienced and dedicated 
inspectors.

The retrenchments were implemented despite evidence that Victoria's 
industrial safety record is in deep trouble.

Seven people have been killed in industrial accidents this year, compared 
to one at this time last year.

The Community and Public Sector Union's Assistant Secretary Peter Keogh 
recently claimed that some of the inspectors had been told that complaints 
against them by employers "would count against them".

Mr Keogh stated that the Kennett Government planned to "tame" the Authority 
in order to reduce the cost of doing business in Victoria. "They want a 
compliant inspectorate", said Mr Keogh, "but that will jeopardise health 
and safety."

The Government now plans to increase the total number of "inspector" 
positions to 175, and has offered the new recruits an extra $5,000 for each 
salaried position.

Significantly, the scope of the "inspectors'" work will be broadened to 
include the monitoring of the return to work of those injured in industrial 
accidents as part of workers' compensation arrangements.

The result will inevitably be a decreasing emphasis on inspection and 
workplace safety and a greater emphasis on pressuring injured workers to 
return to work.