Industrial Accidents
Until the dramatic events of Friday night, the Baiada Poultry dispute in suburban Melbourne had not had the publicity of Qantas. That’s a shame because the gutsy fight by low-paid Baiada workers is just as important in the fight for fair treatment at work.
Media coverage has focused on the clashes between police and workers, but has ignored the basic issues at stake. A couple of hundred low-paid workers have been forced to take legal industrial action because their employer has refused to bargain with them.
They are taking collective action in an attempt to stop the spread of insecure work – and ensure that Baiada workers on low wages have some certainty around their jobs and basic rights to sick leave and holiday pay.
Continue reading "Baiada is playing chicken with livelihoods and lives" »
Five years ago, Glen Viegas cut into a live wire as he worked on the construction of a shopping centre on the NSW Central Coast. That wire should have been disconnected. But it wasn’t. Glen was killed, and an hour and a half later, his wife Andreia had to pull back a white hospital sheet to identify her husband’s body.
Next time you see burly construction workers marching in a protest, consider stories like Andreia’s, and the fact that on average, one construction worker dies from work every week.
The experience of Andreia, and others like her, is what motivates trade unionists when we push for the best possible health and safety laws.
Continue reading "Unions turn on Gillard over worker safety" »
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Sharon Vassar says:
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… Read more »
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GJS says:
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… Read more »
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