Unions turn on Gillard over worker safety

Old Clive says:

07:21am | 15/09/09

University students have no comprehension of what Workplace Safety is about,
if any government was to recruit an exworker from chemical plants or refineries or from high risk industries to work out a national safety plan for workers, it would be based on factual experience and training, not on pie in the sky like high visibility clothing and warning signs. Workplace safety is what the words say not what unions and university graduates think it should be. Sometimes I think I should have taken the offer of the position on the Occupational Health and Safety Commission.

Amy says:

09:08am | 15/09/09

It is often the youngest, most inexperienced workers who die because of a lack of work safety. These are just children, such as this boy, who need to be protected:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/16/1065917551115.html

Al says:

11:20am | 15/09/09

Mark, did you forget to explain that when unions prosecute they are awarded half of any fine levied against a business? Of course you didn’t, how silly of me, I expect you want to hide that one from the punters.

Be honest, this whole campaign has nothing to do with health and safety, it is all about the continuation of union power.

The statistics in NSW (the only state with union prosecutions) are no better than those in the rest of Australia, so they don’t back your claims up.

Offshore oil and gas is probably the best regulated industry in the country, and far out-performs less hazardous industries (such as construction in NSW). What does that tell you? It tells me that union prosecutions are not a panacea - the key is good risk management.

Kris says:

03:05pm | 15/09/09

Unnecessarily cynical Al. 
Workers take risks everyday just doing their jobs.  They have a right to the best protection possible - this is not the lowest common denominator OH&S laws.  The OH&S laws of Australia should ensure that when someone goes to work in the morning their family and friends can expect them home in one piece at the end of the day.

Daniel says:

03:11pm | 15/09/09

The unions get all they deserve over this issue. If they were actually interested in representing union members and trying to increase union membership they would be better off. Instead they are interested in crawling up to the ALP to get the top union people into parliament. It makes me sick.

DaveA says:

03:33pm | 15/09/09

NSW is a basketcase.  Lets not drag the rest of the country down into the corrupt mire of NSW ALP union politics.

Lisa says:

04:58pm | 15/09/09

I thought the issue was a change to the OH&S laws - that the new federal laws are not as strong as NSW’s currently are -  and that’s the problem.  Whatever either Al, Dave or Daniel think about politics or unions, safety at work is the issue and it is not something to be trifled with. Why should NSW laws be diluted in a race to the bottom? We wouldn’t need safety laws if workers were not injured at work but it happens all too often and I would argue that we need stronger regulations rather than a dilution.

Michael says:

05:03pm | 15/09/09

“If they were actually interested in representing union members and trying to increase union membership they would be better off”

Yep i’d agree with you there, I worked in security, got ripped off left right and center, had a union rep come near me at any time while i was working in that industry i’d have signed up in a heart beat, where were you guys?

There’s far more security guards in oz then there is police officers, yet look at that police union and the power they throw around, lets do a quick search for Security guards union… what we got here, ah the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union, ok MR Secretary of Unions NSW, you tell me how many security guards they went out and attempted to recruit this year?

Yours in contempt

Wayne says:

05:08pm | 15/09/09

I am a small business owner & manager, and I have no hesitation in supporting the toughest stand on safety at work, both for myself and the people I employ. Businesses that continue and flagrantly ignore safety in the workplace should be prosecuted, otherwise how else will they or businesses learn? A safe workplace can cost in the short term, but it’s a darn side better than a major worker’s compensation claim or worker death.

John T of Adelaide says:

12:19am | 16/09/09

Nobody wants to see anyone injured or killed at work (or on the roads) but how successful has the NSW power that’s supposedly been used by unions “sparingly and effectively since the 1940s” been? If it has reduced the number of workplace injuries and deaths then there’s a strong case for it to be introduced throughout Australia, so where are the comparative stats?

In May ABC RN’s Counterpoint ran an interesting item which argued, from the perspective of independent contractors, that the NSW model increased union power without achieving any significant improvements in workplace health and safety: see http://www.abc.net.au/rn/counterpoint/stories/2009/2579798.htm

Emma says:

10:21am | 16/09/09

NSW worker’s compensation laws are pathetic to say the least and working on the assumption that the new (potentially over-arching) federal laws will stink even worse raises my ire up to the point I might need to get my blood pressure checked.

Yeah, there are political issues but for once let’s put this aside and say that the main focus is that there are literally thousands and thousands of people who exist in grey areas and don’t have the support they need when something goes wrong, at their expense.

I would argue that any workers compensation and procedures need consultation from all levels - particularly workers as well as safety experts so that ALL the information is on the table and an open fair process happens. This, however, is difficult to achieve for workers who are not unionsed and thereby lack the stautory support to form worker based OH&S committees.

I also think it is a major nightmare for people who have been bullied (a massive problem) as the current focus seems to be on physical injuries alone. It’s not just live wires that kill workers, it’s suicide too. That matters.

In response to people who were waiting for Howard’s draconian permit system to be reviewed, I kindly suggest you call 1300 4 UNION and join yourself.  We are all responsible for this situation, please speak to people to let them know when there is a problem, and speak to the right people.

Unions and health workers and victims are the ones campaigning for justice. Support this, and if you don’t like the structure as well, change it by joining your branch council and becoming a delegate.

Also, I am pleased to see an employer acknowledging there is a problem, but I think if we have to punish people for them to recognise basic morality then our society is doomed indeed. Employers also need to take proactive measures by considering safety before cost cutting and overworking/underpaying/not training properly their workers.

Ken Phillips says:

10:54am | 16/09/09

The union campaign is highly misleading claiming the Rudd laws will put workers at risk. This is dangerously wrong. The proposed laws will significantly improve work safety.

The union campaign is short on facts, false in its claims and deceptive about the truth of the improvements under the proposed laws.

We’ve challenged the ACTU to a public debate on the facts of the proposed work safety laws. http://www.contractworld.com.au.

We’ve summarised the truth on the new laws; http://www.contractworld.com.au/campaigns/ica-ohsharmonization2009.php

Lets deal with facts not spin.

GJS says:

11:11am | 16/09/09

Risk management = lowest possible cost to employer and just hope that they dont get caught when cutting corners.

Some industry takes it seriously but unless there is a union presence good intentions often make way for $$$$

There needs to be regulations with teeth and the resources to enforce them to keep the dodgy players honest.

GJS says:

11:12am | 16/09/09

Risk management = lowest possible cost to employer and just hope that they dont get caught when cutting corners.

Some industry takes it seriously but unless there is a union presence good intentions often make way for $$$$

There needs to be regulations with teeth and the resources to enforce them to keep the dodgy players honest.

Sharon Vassar says:

11:43am | 16/09/09

I have a son and son in law who are electricians. I am a widow and know how it feels to lose part of your heart. So as their mum and a long time tax contributer I would expect that the Govt. I support and vote for will rethink any changes to an OH&S system that if anything needs more added safety measures. So PLEASE put workers before profits and make all worksites accountable even Govt. owned. Thankyou.