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92.

"The work that can cripple", in ABEU newsletter, no. 5 (Aug. 1983) (Melbourne : Australian Bank Employees Union, 1983)

In 1980, workers began to complain of pain, usually somewhere in the dominant forequarter, attributed to overuse. Although this was either an exaggeration of normal fatigue, or one of the common conditions, such as tennis elbow or carpal tunnel syndrome, a new term was introduced in Melbourne – Repetitive Strain Injury. Between 1980 and 1986, by which time the epidemic of RSI had passed, over 30% of Telecom Australia’s staff had needed time off for this condition. In these cases, which occurred on a background of high unemployment and interest rates on bank loans of 18%, the only useful measures were often just education and reassurance. This edition of the ABEU newsletter, with its sensational story under a photograph of a cheque-processing machine, contradicted the messages that a treating doctor would want to convey. It is a treasured reminder of the time.