Workplace safety will be put at risk if business gets its way on OHS changes: unions launch new ads
14 September, 2009 | Media Release
Big business is backing changes to national workplace health and safety laws that would put workers at risk of injury or illness because it wants to cut costs and red tape, say unions.
ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said it was unacceptable for the changes to health and safety laws to lead to increased profits for businesses at the expense of workers’ safety.
He said unions were determined to prevent any reduction in workplace safety and would campaign hard against the proposed new laws unless they were changed.
Australian unions will today launch hard-hitting new advertisements that warn that if big business gets its way, the proposed national health and safety laws will reduce rights and protections for workers.
“Business lobby groups are pushing for changes that would reduce the health and safety rights for millions of workers.
“The changes would prevent workers in NSW and the ACT from taking court action against an employer for breaches of health and safety laws. This is a right NSW workers have used sparingly but effectively for nearly 70 years.
“Workers in Queensland and NSW would also lose out because the proposed new laws remove the onus on employers to prove they provided a safe workplace.
“Victorian workers would also be seriously affected with lower rights and protections for workers who take on the responsibility of being the health and safety representative of their workmates.
“This is despite employer groups like the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry admitting in a recent research brief that Australia is failing to meet self-imposed targets for reduced workplace injuries and that there are valid estimates of up to 7,000 fatalities occurring each year from work-related injuries and diseases.
“Last week unions directly raised our concerns with federal and state workplace relations ministers that it is unacceptable to see standards reduced just to cut red tape for business.
“Workers’ health and safety is too valuable – these are people’s lives and wellbeing we’re talking about. Unions are determined that the new laws provide the best standards for all workers.”
Mr Lawrence said the proposed national OHS laws must give workers a say over matters that involve their health and safety, make employers responsible for providing a safe workplace, and protect and empower elected health and safety representatives to do their job.
They must respect the role that unions play in investigating and enforcing workplace safety, and allow victims of workplace incidents to take court action against employers when regulators fail to.
A recent national poll of more than 1000 people commissioned by the ACTU found that eight in 10 Australians believe employers should do more to protect the health and safety of their workers, even if it means more costs or red tape for their business.
Details of the poll, including the questions asked and methodology, are publicly available at www.actu.org.au
Contact Details
Mark Phillips
Mob: 0422 009 011
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