Workers Online : : 2000 - Issue 70 : New Economy Spawns New Plagues


Issue No 70		07 September 2000

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

New Economy Spawns New Plagues

A number of workers have had to leave the call centre industry because of new diseases such as noise sensitivity and they are not covered by workers' compensation as they are not considered to be "industrial deafness" caused by work.

Sandra Cabot, a former call centre worker says:

"I'm so sensitive to noise after working in a call centre and having my head zapped. It's like having shock treatment."

Sandra says that the equipment she was provided with was very old and didn't control the amount of noise coming in. "I'd get a spike (a high pitched shot of noise) which sent me deaf", she says.

"Everyday I would be in agony", she says.

She consulted a doctor who advised her that she had suffered permanent damage to her hearing and advised her to change professions as the condition was caused by the equipment she was using in her employment as a call centre professional.

Sandra has been advised that her condition is irreversible and there is no remedy for it. She continues to suffer symptoms such as severe headaches, soreness in her ears and disorientation.

It has had a devastating effect on her, not just physically but emotionally. "I have lost my confidence as a result", Sandra said.

I have been advised that I am not entitled to any workers' compensation and I am devastated that I am no longer a professional in the workforce. I now feel totally isolated" Sandra said.

Labor Council's safety watchdog, Mary Yaager, is pursuing this issue, and is seeking expert medical and scientific advice in terms of getting the condition recognised as a genuine workers' compensation related condition.

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Issue 70 contents

Interview: New Internationalism
In its battle with Rio Tinto the CFMEU has pioneered global campaigning. National Secretary John Maitland talks to Workers Online about globalisation, a union response and using new technologies to organise .

History: Pickets and Police
S11 protestors would do well to be wary. Fred Paterson, CPA member of the Qld Parliament, was bashed by the Queensland police on St Patrick's Day 1948, when a Labor Government was in power in that state.

Education: The WEF -Why Should We Care?
An event like the World Economic Forum attracts all the spin doctors for every interest, often obscuring real issues. For educators the issues may seem remote but a closer look shows that services like public education could be dramatically affected by the unfolding agenda of global trade liberalisation says Rob Durbridge.

Economics: A Vandalised Economy
Since New Zealand was opened up to the forces of globalisation, it has performed dismally, both economically and socially. NZCTU Economist Peter Conway reports.

Unions: Our Vital Role in Society
Eight months into his new role as ACTU Secretary Greg Combet reflects on the challenges facing Australian unions.

International: Turning Up The Heat
John Sweeney of the AFL-CIO says the union movement can and will reform the global economy, for as Dr Martin Luther King taught us, the moral arc of history is long but it bends towards justice.

Satire: Threat to withhold pocket money derails S11 protest
MELBOURNE, Tuesday: Members of the activist collective S11 announced today that they had decided to cancel their protest at the upcoming World Economic Forum meeting at Crown Casino.

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