The Unionist, Issue 40, 28 April 2006

The Unionist this week covers the launch of a campaign demanding lump sum payments for asbestos victims, profiles May Day events on Monday, as well as the weekly events listing.

Either read on, or you can download the printed version of The Unionist here (PDF file, 40 kb)

CTU Launches Campaign for Asbestos Victims

The Council of Trade Unions today launched a campaign for fair compensation for victims of workplace asbestos exposure.

"The campaign marks International Workers' Memorial Day and its first objective is to get the same ACC lump sum compensation for asbestos victims that injured workers get," CTU President Ross Wilson said today.

Asbestos has had a variety of uses in New Zealand and was used widely in buildings from the 1930s until 1991. Fletchers and James Hardies were the main importers of asbestos and asbestos products.

"The potentially lethal nature of asbestos fibres has been known for centuries but credible international research has been available since at least the early 1960s. Yet New Zealand workers continued to be exposed to asbestos, right through the 60s, 70s and 80s," CTU President Ross Wilson said in an open letter to Prime Minister Helen Clark today.

"Through no fault of their own, hundreds of New Zealand workers have suffered the painful and terminal effects of lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma through their exposure to asbestos related products."

It is estimated that about 150 New Zealanders will die from asbestos-related diseases every year for the next 20-30 years. Although it is acknowledged that the diseases resulted from workplace exposures, lump sum compensation is denied under the Accident Compensation Scheme unless the exposure continued after 1 April 2002.

The CTU is calling on the Government to urgently amend the law covering ACC to enable for lump sum payments to be able to be made to asbestos victims and, if necessary to impose a special levy on Fletchers and James Hardies so that those companies which profited from the use of asbestos bear the cost of doing so.

"The research report of the National Occupational Health & Safety Advisory Committee released yesterday highlights the gross inequity that only 2% of the full costs of occupational disease are compensated and that workers themselves bear a disproportionate 46.4% of those costs compared with 5.9% by employers," Ross Wilson said.

Union members will be sending postcards to the Prime Minister in support of the action, and will be organising members of the public to do the same.

You can download the open letter here, or view the letter and the media release online here

May Day - May 1

Unions are marking May Day throughout the country at events starting tomorrow and going through to next Saturday night, with the annual May Day Cup in Palmerston North on May 6.

Unionists are gathering for dinners in Auckland and Wellington, and there are rallies planned in Auckland and a BBQ in Whangarei town centre. Unions Otago are supporting a May Day event at Dunedin's Arc cafe. Full details of May Day events are below in the events section.

Meanwhile, the Engineering, Printing & Manufacturing Union is launching its metals campaign in Auckland on the day, with the first of three stop-work meetings for their largest Multi Employer Collective Agreement. Monday's meeting is expected to draw around a thousand members.

Events

Unions Local Events

Unions Palmerston North
April 28, 3pm
PSA House, 41-47 King St, Palm Nth
john.shennan@psa.org.nz

Unions Northland
May 3, 5pm.
TUC, 7 First Ave, Whangarei
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Unions Waikato (AGM this month)
May 4, 5.15pm
TUC, 34 Harwood Street, Hamilton
jamesr@nzdwu.org.nz

Unions Tauranga
May 8, 5pm
Seafarers Centre, Hull Rd, Mt Maunganui
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Unions Hawkes Bay
May 8, 5.30pm
TUC, 2 Lipton Pl, Napier
dhyde@nduunion.org.nz

Unions Otago
May 9, 4.30pm
NZNO, Level 3, 7 Crawford St, Dunedin
glendaa@nzno.org.nz

Unions Gisborne
May 10, 4pm
Trades and Labour Hall, Cnr Customhouse St. & Childers Rd, Gisborne
cryan@nduunion.org.nz

Unions Canterbury
May 16, 4pm
TUC, 199 Armagh Street, Christchurch
Karena.Brown@epmu.org.nz

Unions Auckland
May 18, 4pm.
Trades Hall, 147 Gt Nth Rd, Auckland
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Unions Wellington
May 18, 5pm
CTU, Lv 7, 178 Willis St, Wellington
pbolster@anet.co.nz

CTU Meetings, Training

CTU meeting of affiliates to discuss Tertiary Education Review.
May 1, 10.30am-1.30pm
CTU Boardroom Wellington.
carolb@nzctu.org.nz

Pacific Workers' Cross Union Fono
May 2, 9am-4.30pm
TUC, 199 Armagh St, Christchurch
karenn@nzctu.org.nz

CTU International Committee
May 3, 9am-1pm
CTU Boardroom Wellington

CTU Women's Council
May 5, 9am-3.30pm
CTU Boardroom Wellington
sue.oshea@psa.org.nz

New Organiser Induction Workshop
Part 1 - 9, 10, 11 May 2006
Part 2 - 8 June 2006
Starts 1pm on 9th May, 9am - 5pm all other days
May Venue: - Lg Room, Ground Flr, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Akld.
June venue: - Lenihan/Kennedy Room, St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Akld.
karenn@nzctu.org.nz

Health and safety workshops for all Union staff
a) 10 May, 9am-1pm
62 London Street, Hamilton
oksanaz@nzctu.org.nz
b)17 May, 9am-1pm
EPMU, Christchurch
oksanaz@nzctu.org.nz

Workplace Productivity Education Programme (WPEP). Regional Workshops for Union Officials. All workshops 9.30am-12.30pm. 04 385 1334, ext 847 /
sandyo@nzctu.org.nz
a) Friday 5 May at Auckland Trade Union Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Akld
b) Tuesday 9 May at Wellington
Morgan and Dick room, St John's complex
Cnr Dixon and Willis Street, Wgtn
c) Tuesday 23 May Christchurch, Meeting Room at EPMU Office
298 Cashel Street, Christchurch

May Day - May 1

Auckland May Day Rally
May 1, 5pm (open mike), 5.30 rally starts, bottom of Queen St. Weather permitting. Alternate venue is Maritime Club.
gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Auckland May Day Dinner
April 29, 6.30 pm. Tickets: linda.holt@psa.org.nz or gparsloe@seafarers.org.nz

Wellington May Day Dinner
May 1, from 6.30pm
Tickets: pbolster@anet.co.nz or your union

Palmerston North May Day Concert
May 6, 7.30pm
Regent Theatre, Palmerston North
natdisp@ihug.co.nz

Other events

Launch of EPMU Metals campaign
May 1. www.epmu.org.nz

Trade Union History Project Launch of book on the 1913 Strike
May 1, 5.30pm
Maritime Museum, Wellington

WEA Lunchtime Forum
CTU Vice President Maori speaking
May 1, 12.10pm
Betty Campbell Centre, Harbour City Tower, 40 Panama Street, Wellington

Dunedin - Arc cafe May Day Event
May 1, 12pm to late.
Organised by the Autonomous Workers Union, with CTU Unions Otago present from 4 to 6. Stalls, videos and a Dunedin radical history display during the day, film screening at 6.30 pm., bands from 9 till 11 and Djs after that.
mdeans@gardener.com

Contact

If you have any information about upcoming CTU events please contact:
Sam Huggard - (04) 802 3817, email: samh@nzctu.org.nz