POVB - Workers Compensation - April 2021

Workers Compensation has been a long standing issue for Prison Officers since it was changed in 2012.

There is currently a review regarding Workers Compensation in the Department of Communities and Justice. The PSA has been part of the review process.

The review is not about changing the Act but about how DCJ can better support staff, how the insurer can do better and overall how to improve the service provided to the injured worker.

There have been two meetings so far:

1. Addressing the concerns raised by the PSA regarding Workers Compensation and the membership.
2. Discussing strategies DCJ have worked on to address those concerns.

The key point discussed are:

• Improving the support given to the injured worker.
• Improving communication to the injured worker and providing information on the operation of Workers Compensation, especially the PIAWE payment.
• All decisions are made with the injured worker as part of the process.

There are aspects of the current Workers Compensation scheme that benefits us and there are aspects of the old scheme that are of benefit.

Police are under the old scheme and they want aspects of our current scheme. This is why it is not as simple as just reverting to the old scheme.

A working group of PSA staff representatives and the POVB Executive worked on the advantages and disadvantages of both the old scheme and the new scheme. A comparison information sheet has been developed for the membership. Click here to see the comparison.

CSNSW have supplied the PSA with a document containing practical examples, including the benefits of our current scheme. Click here to see the comparison.

The PSA/POVB working group also looked at what could be changed and have come up with the following points:

• Better return to work options
• Staff currently have a reduction in their wage from the time of the injury and for the remainder of the pay fortnight

Staff being able to use their sick leave to top up their pay rather than use their recreation leave and extended leave

• Enhanced rehab providers. Currently, members cannot get adequate coverage in a timely manner
• Advocates in centres. There needs to be someone in every centre that can lead people through the Workers Compensation process
• An injured worker, on long term Workers Compensation has a significant reduction in superannuation

If an injured worker has returned to work, then needs to take time off for a medical appointment or procedure, the PIAWE payment is made from the time of the injury. Not at the current time of the appointment or the procedure. This means that the injured worker has a significant drop in payment.

Delegates met at an extraordinary Delegates to Management meeting on 11 March 2021 where the above points were put to the delegates and passed to campaign around those points.

The POVB Executive will be meeting with CSNSW management bi-monthly to address individual member’s Worker’s Compensation issues. If you do go off on Workers Compensation and have particular issues, please contact Nicole Jess, Joshua Hamade or David Bartle as they will be attending the meetings.

Contact details

Nicole Jess
Chairperson
0427 609 199

Jason Charlton
Vice Chairperson
0401 500 976

Natalie Howes
Secretary
0407 011 441

Mark Hutchinson
Assistant Secretary
0410 031 963

Darren King
Country Vice Chair
0407 935 039

Joshua Hamade
Country Vice Chair
0456 249 991

Clinton Lamb
Vice Chair Overseer
0400 709 144

David McCauley
POVB Industrial Officer
0419 022 767

David Bartle
POVB Industrial Officer
0418 425 976

Trish O’Brien
Welfare Officer
0412 120 391