Unions Challenged on Health and Safety

Worker health and safety needed to be a top priority of any union and should
be a focus in collective bargaining, delegates to the Council of Trade
Unions Biennial Conference in Wellington were told today by a visiting union health and safety specialist.
The conference opened this morning with a speech by the Minister of Labour,
Margaret Wilson, about the Health and Safety in Employment Act and the areas
in which the Government is reviewing the Employment Relations Act.

Later, Cathy Walker, the national health and safety director of the Canadian
Auto Workers Union - the largest private sector union in Canada - told the
conference that international research shows that workplaces with active
union involvement are safer workplaces.

"No matter how successful a union may be at the bargaining table in
negotiating excellent wages, benefits and pensions, they will all come to
nought if workers are not alive long enough to reap the benefits," said
Cathy Walker. "The same is true for workers who, due to illness or injury
are not able to continue at work."

The reality of workplaces with no union involvement is that wages are
usually quite low, and employers sometimes scrimp on health and safety
provisions as well, she said.

Cathy Walker said the system of workplace health and safety representatives
required by the Health and Safety in Employment Act, which came into force
this year, was vital in reducing accidents at work.

"We've had this system across Canada since 1980," she said. "We see strong,
effective union health and safety representatives as being absolutely
critical to keeping the membership safe and healthy."