Friday, July 25, 2008 Suffering eased for widows and families The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) NSW today paid tribute to the widows and families of workers killed on the job after the state government made good on its promise to increase their death benefits. Premier Morris Iemma pledged in October last year to raise by 28 per cent to $425,000 the maximum one-off workers compensation payment to the relatives of workers who died in a work-related incident. Today, the suffering and grief of those families has been acknowledged. “The CFMEU has lobbied long and hard on behalf of these families to ensure they receive the compensation they need and deserve,” CFMEU NSW state secretary Andrew Ferguson said. “It’s good to see the government finally acknowledging the huge and sudden financial burden on the families that bread-winners leave behind when they’re killed on the job. “It’s another example of where NSW is leading the way in workplace health and safety. This state has the best occupational health and safety standards in the country. The union and its members do not want to see them watered down as Australia moves towards a national OH&S scheme.” The premier today met with representatives of the Workplace Family Tragedy Support Group (WFTSG), including 27-year-old Sanja Budesa whose carpenter husband, Nebojsa, was killed in a work-related incident just five days after Mr Iemma announced the death benefit increase. A full-time mum, Mrs Budesa and her two young children, Luka, 3, and Nemanja, 1, were left with a large mortgage. They were under too much financial strain to wait for the government to follow through on its promise. So, earlier this year they were forced to sign off on benefits worth much less. But because of Mr Iemma’s announcement today, they will receive almost $100,000 more than under the old scheme. Mrs Budesa said it will help secure her children’s future. “Thank you,” Mrs Budesa said. “Thank you for understanding. The pain is still there, but I feel a bit more secure for the kids. I know they can have the house in the future.” Around 60 families of workers who have died since October last year as a result of work-related incidents will benefit from today’s announcement.