Asbestos disease legislation will be debated in the NSW Parliament this week, and unions are complaining the possible amendments will relieve insurance companies of some of the liability for workers’ compensation claims and shift it to employers.

Last week the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union complained that the amended legislation could lead to employers recovering as little as $8,000 from an insurance policy on compensation claims of up to $300,000. The union has previously objected to the State Government’s refusal to offer either the union or victims groups’ legal aid to appear at the commission of inquiry into the establishment of a medical and research compensation foundation by manufacturer James Hardie.