Hundreds of workers crowded outside Queensland’s parliament on 17 October to protest changes to workers compensation laws.
The rally was coloured by a sea of union flags, with nurses and construction workers making up the largest contingents.
Queensland Council of Unions president John Battams reflected the mood when he called attorney-general Jarrod Bliejie a “bliear, bliear, bliear!”
While there was talk of the need to fight, many also spoke about the battle at the ballot box. State Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk argued that workers’ hopes rested with her party. “To change these laws, you must change this government”, she said.
This is no strategy. The Bligh Labor government instituted its own changes to WorkCover in 2010, capping the compensation an injured worker could receive, putting the onus on the worker to prove the employer was at fault and making workers pay for unsuccessful court cases.
We need collective action by unionists to push back any further government attacks.
