WCRC: history and objectives

GENESIS OF THE WORKERS’ AND CIVIL RIGHTS COALITION 2006


HISTORY – WORKERS’ RIGHTS COALITION 1995

The Workers’ Rights Coalition was formed in 1995 as a direct result of the Goss state government’s attempt to strip working people in Queensland of their common law rights to seek redress from negligent employers for injuries sustained at work.

A large coalition of community groups, including trade unions, community groups, medical and legal groups and churches united in a concerted fashion and the Workers’ Rights Coalition played a significant role in retaining common law access for injured workers.

In 1996, the Borbidge state government attempted once again to deny injured workers their fundamental rights. The Workers’ Rights Coalition fought repeated attempts by the Industrial Relations Minister at the time, Santo Santoro, to gut workers’ compensation in Queensland and was instrumental in defeating the key “impairment threshold” recommendation of the Kennedy Commission that would have denied common law rights to most injured workers.

To this end, the Workers’ Rights Coalition produced and distributed over one million leaflets, ran television and radio advertisements and played an important part in the political activity of marginal seats. The Workers’ Rights Coalition lobbied state Labor parliamentarians and independents in obtaining guarantees that, upon their election, they would ensure injured workers’ rights would be recognised. Thus, the Workers’ Rights Coalition played a not insignificant role in the defeat of the Borbidge state government.

THE PRESENT – WORKERS’ AND CIVIL RIGHTS COALITION

In 2006, we are reforming the Workers’ Rights Coalition under the new name of the “Workers’ and Civil Rights Coalition” for two principal reasons.

To fight for the repeal of the ‘WorkChoices’ legislation: specifically, to fight against the unprecedented attack on the industrial conditions of our working lives that form part of the current federal Government’s dual agenda to (a) create a low wage, low condition economy and to (b) undermine the collectivity and solidarity that has characterised the Australian workforce.

To fight against the derisive regard in which the civil rights of the working people in Australia are held by the current federal Government, by certain state institutions and by corporations generally.

OBJECTIVES

Our aims and objectives include:

(1) To highlight the erosion of industrial and civil rights in every available forum that the Workers’ and Civil Rights Coalition is able to seek out;

(2) To develop a broad-based and ongoing community campaign involving unions, professional bodies, community groups, academics and like-minded individuals: specifically, to unite with those people who share the view that ‘WorkChoices’ needs to be overturned and who wish to campaign, contrary to the intentions behind ‘WorkChoices’, for (a) improvements in wages and conditions to the level of the best enterprise conditions and for a living wage for the low paid and for non-workers; and to (b) promote and rebuild the collectivity and solidarity that have characterised the Australian workforce at other times;

(3) To develop an educative campaign for the public via the hosting of public meetings, seminars, rallies undertaken in conjunction with other groups and the production of leaflets and booklets as required;

(4) To build union and community support for workers who picket their places of employment when such workers are threatened or affected by industrial fines or law suits, the introduction of individual contracts into their workplaces, lockouts, the closure of their workplaces, or gaol for refusing to submit to the inquisitorial powers of government agencies. Specifically, we believe that a general trade union commitment to defy industrial fines would be a powerful stand and a way to prepare for direct action when the occasion arises. For that reason, we encourage people not to pay industrial fines. We collectively commit to stand by any trade unionist or trade union faced, as a result of prosecution under the new industrial relations legislation, with seizure of assets or wages or with jail. We will support trade unionists refusing to pay fines arising from this unjust legislation.

(5) To develop a campaign that firmly stands on the side of injured workers and their families to (a) ensure the accessibility of WorkCover benefits without loss of income; (b) ensure that all injured workers and members of the community have full access to common law rights when an enterprise is negligent; and prevent the imposition of a Commonwealth compensation system on Queensland employees

We explain this point further: Working people and their families also suffer catastrophic injuries and illnesses well away from the workplace in going about their normal lives. Insurance companies scored a stunning victory over consumers with a massive campaign in 2002 that resulted in huge premium hikes to the community group sector. Both state and federal governments caved in to every demand from insurers and their corporate allies. The result is that (a) insurance company profits have soared by billions every year since the ‘reforms’; (b) many worker and most consumer injury compensation claims have been eliminated; (c) reckless policy holders are given wide exemptions from accountability; (d) workers’ and consumers’ rights have been permanently diminished; (e) insurers continue to prey on lawsuit fears and huge premium hikes remain unchecked; (f) victims injured through no fault of their own must in most cases meet their own expenses, suffer loss of income and are often thrown on the Centrelink scrapheap; and (g) taxpayers subsidise negligent and reckless behaviour through Medicare, through Centrelink payments and through public hospital treatment of innocent victims.