US safety study prompts transatlantic campaign to prevent deaths in
paper industry
20th November 2009
A recent increase in workplace fatalities and serious injuries
in the paper industry may have been brought on by employers trying
to increase profit margins at the expense of health and safety, the
world’s first global union said as it prepares to launch an
investigation of the UK industry.
The investigation - to be conducted by Workers Uniting - comes
after a survey of paper industry workplaces in the United States
that shows widespread dilution of health and safety procedures.
That survey was carried out by the United Steelworkers (USW) from
the United States and Canada.
The USW and Unite the union have partnered to form Workers
Uniting, the world’s first global union. The transatlantic campaign
involving the paper sector is just one example of how the global
union is using its power to improve the lives of workers around the
world. The joint paper industry campaign is the largest health and
safety research project in the history of the industry and is the
first to connect workers in different continents.
The USW survey reveals:
- Widespread cutbacks on safety training
- Reduction of union safety committees
- The use of financial incentives paid to staff when the number
of reported accidents falls.
Workers Uniting will follow-up with a survey of UK workplaces. Tony
Burke, Unite assistant general secretary, will today (Monday 23rd)
launch the investigation at the union’s print and paper conference
in Brighton.
Tony Burke said: “Globalisation of the paper industry is pushing
employers to shirk their responsibilities for the health and safety
of their staff.
“Workers Uniting is very concerned with the emergence of a
financial rewards scheme for reduction in reported accidents in the
workplace. It is a cynical development designed to hide
safety problems and avoid investigations. The global union
intends to come down hard on this practice wherever we find
it.”
The details of the US survey will be revealed at the conference by
USW vice president Jon Geenen, lead negotiator for 120,000 members
in the paper and pulp industry in the USA.
Jon Geenen said: “The USW share many common employers with workers
in the UK paper industry. The safety problems we have discovered in
the United States will already be in existence or will soon be
imported into the UK.
“Through Workers Uniting, our joint campaign will encourage
members on both sides to report unsafe working practices. The
message we will send from this conference to employers in this
industry is the global union is watching you.”
The campaign to be launched in January by Workers Uniting will
offer a freephone number for members to report unsafe work
practices, which will be reported to the health and safety
authorities in both the US and the UK.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Saba Mozakka, Unite, 020 7420 8916, saba.mozakka@unitetheunion.org
Connie Mabin, USW, 412-562-2616, cmabin@usw.org
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