Remember when there was all that hoo-ha about the CFMEU's Joe McDonald being videotaped swearing at a boss on a Perth building site?McDonald was trying to hold a meeting on site about workplace safety.
Under Howard's new industrial relations laws, unions have lost the right of entry to sites, and it was under these laws that a mongrel dog of an employer was standing over McDonald and forcing him off site.
About a month ago, there was a serious saefty breach at the same site when a concrete block fell from high on the building.
Such near-miss incidents are bad enough.
Worse are the incidents that result in death or injury.
New figures from Western Australia show a disgraceful 100% increase in workplace deaths in that State over the last 12 months. Twelve deaths in the previous period had escalated to 25 in the past year.
Most were in the mining, construction and related industries. These are the industries that Howard has targetted in his campaign to break unions on behalf of his rich masters.
That Howard must go is only half of the solution: Rudd and Labor must be forced to allow unions to do their job of protecting workers from unsafe practices. Rudd must not condone this level of workplace death and injury by fearing the multinationals and the local capitalists.
People before profits!
(Read the WA Branch of the CFMEU on workplace safety here, and while you're there, hit the link to the 107 and send them your support.)
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