Gabe Gooding, National Assistant Secretary
Gabe Gooding National Assistant Secretary
As we all know, 2020 has been a year to remember and possibly one that we would all like to forget. It has been deeply disturbing and distressing for many members, and, as we approach the end of the year we face a sector that is being radically reshaped in ways that will continue to challenge us in the future. The pandemic has upended our lives and our work. This report is a reflection of the main work that I have done this year. Work Health and Safety Our original plan to build capacity in work health and safety (WHS) through a staged process, like many other things, went out the window with COVID-19. Clearly our members now had urgent need for health and safety advice. I would like to sincerely thank the WHS Team who researched, wrote fact sheets for Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) and members, organised ongoing sessions for HSRs and helped with submissions. Campbell Smith (National Office), Alex Cousner (Queensland), and Corey Rabaut (Victoria) are all qualified, committed and enthusiastic comrades who have put in enormous work on WHS this year in addition to their other duties.
Image (this page): Members taking part in the 2020 Melbourne Pride March., February 2020
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A predictable and heart-breaking consequence of the pandemic and the Federal Government’s failure to adequately support our sector has been the massive loss of jobs. Whether through appropriate consultation
and restructure processes, or through a mass voluntary process, the loss of jobs is always a WHS issue that requires risk identification and specific consultation through the WHS mechanisms. There are strong powers in the various Acts and it is great to see some Branches starting to use WHS to force meaningful engagement. More importantly, looking at job losses through a WHS frame as well as an industrial one, gives us the best chance of mitigating the effects on the mental health of those who remain. We encourage members and Branches to continue to discuss the impact of redundancies, and over-work on our mental health. It is well past time that we accept that our employers are as responsible for risks to our psychological health as they are for risks to our physical health. Too many workers accept the proposition that if they suffer from excessive workrelated stress that it is their fault because they are ‘weak’ or ‘unable’ to cope. We would not accept the proposition that if a worker broke a leg falling into a pothole it was because their bones were too weak; we would expect the cause of the injury to be fixed. We must not accept pathologising the individual as a way of allowing our employers to avoid responsibility for working conditions that cause psychological harm. An enormous thank you to all those HSRs who have actively worked to protect their co-workers and who have participated in our sessions on WHS. You are the backbone of the WHS system, and for those who don’t have a HSR in their workplace, please consider becoming one, there is great
NTEU ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ◆ Gabe Gooding, National Assistant Secretary
