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What about workers without friends in high places?
CTU Media Release
21 March 2012
What about workers without friends in high places?
CTU President Helen Kelly says Dr Nick Smith should resign after failing to act on his first hand knowledge and evidence that ACC just doesn’t work for many of the people in the system, and asks “what about the workers and people in the ACC system who don’t have friends in powerful places?”
“Dr Smith’s letter on behalf of a friend shows that he knows of genuine cases where the system is letting people down, yet he did nothing in his term as ACC Minister to help.”
Helen Kelly says “we have many examples from unions of workers experiences of ACC. We know that workers are finding it much harder and are often finding themselves struggling against the assumption that they don’t have an injury, and that this got worse on Dr Smiths watch.”
“Workers often experience delays and unnecessary disputes against the cause and origins of an injury. It is not unusual for people to go 3 - 6 months or longer while their disputes are played out through the system. There is no financial support for these workers during the disputes process.”
“The then Minister of ACC, Nick Smith knew
that the only way for his acquaintance to get real movement
on her case was for him to intervene, using his Ministerial
letterhead and influence. Many workers are frustrated by
stricter interpretations of the law and are more often
facing disputes with ACC.
In the context of claims where
there are delays in the issuing of a decision or in
provision of treatment, people who don’t have influential
friends are often left languishing in the system.”
“Brain injuries are very serious, and often some of the most debilitating injuries. Every person with a brain injury needs the support of their friends and family, but it is not appropriate for a Minister of the Crown to get involved in an individual case based not on the facts of the case, but because of his personal relationship with the claimant and shows a serious failing in the system,” said Helen Kelly.
ENDS
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