But if the worst happens, the courts should give sufferers more realistic compensation. So an employee who feels she is suffering from RSI could well have the starting point of a claim, arguing that she has suffered ill health as a consequence of her employer's negligence. But the damages awards are not very high, and it can be a lengthy process. Some unions are taking the RSI issue very seriously and winning damages for members. Your sister would be best off going through a union.
Any case involving medical evidence can be very costly.
According to the Trades Union Congress, the typical compensation payment ordered by the courts is between 2,000 and 7,000 for the pain and suffering of the victim. In the recent case of the Midland Bank's Frimley cheque processing centre in Surrey, several RSI sufferers won claims averaging 7,000. The TUC is urging a doubling in financial value for this kind of compensation payment. RSI test case starts A major test case in which part-time bank workers are claiming compensation for Repetitive Strain Injury has begun in Britain. The Banking Insurance and Finance Union is taking the case on behalf of five former part-time employees of Midland Bank's processing centre in Frimley, Surrey.