31 May 2020 Injured mental health nurse launches national day of action for injured workers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [Video] https://youtu.be/OPnX58Q7bN4 Injured Workers Day, the brainchild of Melbourne mental health nurse Brendan Cox, has so far been embraced by more than 20 organisations, including trade unions across Australia representing hundreds of thousands of workers in diverse industries. The Australian Council of Trades Unions will be involved as will Victorian Trades Hall Council, along with trade unions across the health, manufacturing, teaching, transport, community and emergency services industries. A growing list of businesses, law firms, charities, and supporters from across the world have offered their support to the growing campaign, including legal firm, Slater and Gordon and superannuation provider, HESTA. After 25 years as a specialist mental health nurse, Brendan experienced a major workplace injury in August 2018. “For the first time in over two decades, I found myself unable to work and having to deal with the loss of identity, income and meaning that is bound up in that. At the same time, I was having to navigate the bureaucracy of Workcover”. Brendan doesn’t shy away from his criticism of the Workcover system. “It just doesn’t work for workers. Its primary objective is to get you back to work or off their books as soon as possible. They don’t really care what anxieties or stresses may result”. In December 2019, Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass released a scathing report into Victoria’s Workcover system, drawing particular ire towards the privatised claims agents that are outsourced to manage individual claims. It was a chance conversation that Brendan had with his union in 2019 that led to the inception of Injured Workers Day. “I spoke to HACSU about the stress and invisibility I felt as a newly ‘injured worker’, and how I felt the union movement needed to do more to support people like me. They agreed, and worked with me to start building a new movement”. Brendan has also established a partnership with a similar movement in Ontario, Canada. “Injured Workers Day has existed in Ontario since 1983, lobbying for visibility for injured workers and changes to their workers compensation scheme. They too are hosting a day of online action today, and we’ll be a part of each other’s events. In some ways, the limitations placed on us all by [the] coronavirus has made it easier to build international solidarity around this important issue”. “We are delighted to be standing in solidarity with trade unions and organizations in Australia and around the world to shine a light on the impact of being an injured worker and how we as a collective can work together to ensure that no one is left behind, regardless of physical or mental injury.” Stephanie Thuesen – Progressive Public Health Alliance We recognise the impact of the coronavirus on workers across Australia, both due to loss of jobs, but also the injuries faced and loss of workers' lives resulting from this pandemic. Many Australians who experience mental health issues are experiencing increasing symptoms due to the social isolation measures currently in place; and mental health workers are under increased pressure due to the high acuity of illness and limited community supports available to people. For the inaugural year in 2020, Injured Workers Day will be hosting an interactive day of online action. Speakers and panels will be livestreamed from the Injured Workers Day Facebook page, including guests from the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), MPs from State and Federal Government, industrial relations experts and lawyers, and injured workers themselves. “The Coronavirus pandemic forced us to adapt Injured Workers Day to a day of online action” said Brendan. “By this time next year, my hope is that we’ll have built an organized movement with a clear set of demands, and an agenda for political change. I hope next year we’ll be able to assemble in person- in protest and in solidarity, as we chart a way forward to fix a broken system”. For more information: Stephanie Thuesen Director of Stakeholder Engagement – Progressive Public Health Alliance E: stephanie.thuesen@Progressivepublichealth.com.au M: +61 487 309 193 Injured Workers Day 2020 will be livestreaming via the Facebook page from 11am on Monday June 1st https://www.facebook.com/injuredworkersday
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