Govt Wants Safety 'Watered Down'

THE right of 250,000 employees in Federal Government departments to seek help from unions on health and safety issues is set to be watered down under a bill introduced to Parliament this week.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow said the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Bill would cut union representatives from their traditional role in workplace safety.

"The government's changes to health and safety laws will allow employers to control the election of workplace health and safety representatives and make it harder for employees to be represented by unions in health and safety issues for their workplace," Burrow said.

The bill has previously been rejected by the Senate three times, but is set to become law under the government's full control of the Senate.

Burrow said research showed workplaces were safer where unions were active.

"Surveys have shown that unionised workplaces are three times as likely to have a health and safety committee, and twice as likely to have undertaken a health and safety audit in the last 12 months," she said.

"Making it harder for commonwealth employees to get union assistance on OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) issues could lead to lower health and safety standards for federal police, people working in the defence forces, scientists, researchers, technicians, employment advisers and other staff in government departments and agencies."

Burrow said current Commonwealth OHS laws had delivered the best safety record in Australia.

"In addition, workers' compensation premiums for the commonwealth are much lower than those paid by the states," Burrow said.

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Last modified: Tuesday, 15-Nov-2005 20:37:38 EST