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12 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 78/1998
Australia could face major disasters in a number of industries, notably offshore oil and gas.
That warning was sounded by Doug Cameron, National Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU), after an explosion at the Longford gas complex this Friday killed two workers and seriously injured eight others. The plant is run by Esso, which owns it jointly with BHP. Longford is in the Australian state of Victoria.
Cameron said the union had been receiving reports about serious undermanning in critical maintenance and safety areas of various industries. He blamed this on a prevailing business culture of putting profits before people.
"Highly skilled and experienced maintenance workers are having their jobs contracted out so companies can save on maintenance costs," Campbell stated. "Lean production and lean maintenance inevitably lead to lean safety."
He called for an immediate judicial inquiry into the Longford accident. It was, he said, essential that the inquiry assess the possible contribution made to the explosion, the loss of life and the injuries by:
cost-cutting in maintenance functions
reductions in the workforce
contracting out of maintenance functions
management systems and decision-making processes
worker induction and training procedures
quality control in the maintenance area
companies' "self-regulation" of occupational health and safety under schemes introduced by the Victorian state government.
The inquiry should include but not be limited to these issues, Cameron said. "The company and the State Government must act decisively and openly so there can be no suggestion of a cover-up."
Meanwhile, the company and the Victorian government have promised that the accident will be fully investigated. So far, no reason has been officially given for the explosion, but some reports are blaming it on a leaky valve.
Longford provides about 80 percent of Victoria's domestic and industrial gas supplies, which have been severely disrupted by the accident. Cameron said companies hit by the gas cuts in Victoria must avoid laying workers off. Instead, they should be assigned to short-term replacement jobs. The union would be seeking compensation for any of its members put out of work.
EMPLOYERS BLOCK GLOBAL CONTRACT LABOUR SAFEGUARDS
At the global level, the AMWU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). Together with other union internationals, the ICEM has consistently drawn attention to the safety risks posed by reliance on contract labour. Worldwide, contract workers have significantly higher accident rates than their directly employed colleagues.
Within the UN's International Labour Organisation, the unions had been campaigning for minimum international standards for contract workers, notably on safety and health. However, a draft ILO Convention on contract labour was talked out by employer delegates and their Australian spokesman during a filibuster at this June's ILO conference. The unions are now pressing for more ILO research into the issue, to which they intend to return.
That warning was sounded by Doug Cameron, National Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU), after an explosion at the Longford gas complex this Friday killed two workers and seriously injured eight others. The plant is run by Esso, which owns it jointly with BHP. Longford is in the Australian state of Victoria.
Cameron said the union had been receiving reports about serious undermanning in critical maintenance and safety areas of various industries. He blamed this on a prevailing business culture of putting profits before people.
"Highly skilled and experienced maintenance workers are having their jobs contracted out so companies can save on maintenance costs," Campbell stated. "Lean production and lean maintenance inevitably lead to lean safety."
He called for an immediate judicial inquiry into the Longford accident. It was, he said, essential that the inquiry assess the possible contribution made to the explosion, the loss of life and the injuries by:
cost-cutting in maintenance functions
reductions in the workforce
contracting out of maintenance functions
management systems and decision-making processes
worker induction and training procedures
quality control in the maintenance area
companies' "self-regulation" of occupational health and safety under schemes introduced by the Victorian state government.
The inquiry should include but not be limited to these issues, Cameron said. "The company and the State Government must act decisively and openly so there can be no suggestion of a cover-up."
Meanwhile, the company and the Victorian government have promised that the accident will be fully investigated. So far, no reason has been officially given for the explosion, but some reports are blaming it on a leaky valve.
Longford provides about 80 percent of Victoria's domestic and industrial gas supplies, which have been severely disrupted by the accident. Cameron said companies hit by the gas cuts in Victoria must avoid laying workers off. Instead, they should be assigned to short-term replacement jobs. The union would be seeking compensation for any of its members put out of work.
EMPLOYERS BLOCK GLOBAL CONTRACT LABOUR SAFEGUARDS
At the global level, the AMWU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). Together with other union internationals, the ICEM has consistently drawn attention to the safety risks posed by reliance on contract labour. Worldwide, contract workers have significantly higher accident rates than their directly employed colleagues.
Within the UN's International Labour Organisation, the unions had been campaigning for minimum international standards for contract workers, notably on safety and health. However, a draft ILO Convention on contract labour was talked out by employer delegates and their Australian spokesman during a filibuster at this June's ILO conference. The unions are now pressing for more ILO research into the issue, to which they intend to return.