'Underhanded': fears IR reform hits essential workers

Key points

• Queensland workers will face tougher thresholds to claim compensation for psychological injuries under proposed WorkCover changes. The government says psychological injury claims rose almost 268 per cent in the past decade.
• Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie would also gain power to end protected industrial action in certain circumstances. The United Workers Union says the changes remove WorkCover rights for ambulance officers and hospital workers, calling them an underhanded attack.
• The Queensland Council of Unions says the reforms would strip public sector workers of bargaining rights.