WORKERS RALLY FOR SAFETY AT PEAK MINISTERS MEETING

3 April 2009

Today workers will be rallying outside the meeting of the Workplace Relations Ministers and the Acting Deputy Minister, Julia Gillard at Glenelg to call for the abolition of special laws in the Construction Industry and the introduction of the strongest possible Occupational, Health and Safety laws across every state in the nation.

The Ministers from every state will be meeting in Adelaide today to agree on a set of OHS laws to be introduced across the nation in a plan to reduce confusion across state boundaries.

Janet Giles, Secretary of SA Unions said, "There is still unfinished business that must be addressed as part of this process and that is the fact that workers in the construction industry work under very different laws than every other worker in the country."

"It is not surprising that there has been a recent increase in the number of accidents, near misses and deaths on construction sites.  The special construction laws limit the role unions can play to protect safety of workers in the industry and they attack ordinary workers for raising safety concerns."

"If the state and federal Governments are fair dinkum about harmonising laws and reducing red tape then there should be one set of laws for all workers regardless of where they work."

Unions are calling for the strongest possible laws in every state and territory that ensure:

• The absolute duty of care of employers to provide a safe workplace
• Proper and effective right of entry provisions for union officials
• A strong system of independent health and safety representatives in workplaces
• A strong system of prosecution for employers who breach safety laws
• The abolition of special laws in the Construction industry