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Tunnel Safety No Accident03 November 2005The “co-operative” approach to safety which ensured no workers were injured in the Lane Cove tunnel collapse is under threat by the Howard Government. The Government has moved on several fronts to exclude workers from negotiating with employers on safety issues. "This was all done in a co-operative fashion between site management and the union," Dixon said.Dixon warned the Howard Government was pursuing policies which sidelined employee involvement in safety practices. The Howard Government this week moved to blackball companies that consult with their workforce from government construction contracts. Provisions of the building industry guidelines include barring virtually all forms of industrial action, including meetings, and clamping down on union right of entry. All companies bidding for Government contracts must have the guidelines in place on all their sites, whether publicly or privately funded. Penalties for breaches include $22,000 for individual workers and $110,000 for their unions. CFMEU Secretary John Sutton said the government's agenda was unnecessary third party involvement in the relationships between companies and their employees. "Companies with established standards, companies who meet with their workforce, will be blacklisted by this crude policy," he said.Earlier this year Marlene Shores - the widow of a man killed while working on the Cross City Tunnel - warned the government's construction industry laws would lead to more deaths. "My husband died when shortcuts were taken in the rush to complete the job, and no one was brave enough to speak out," Shores said. "What the building industry needs is strong trade unions to protect workers rights and safety, not Government laws that bully and threaten workers with massive fines if they question their employer about safety concerns on the site." | |
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