BWI: IWMD 2007

IWMD 2007

GENEVA
BWI General Secretary presented the Global Unions Campaign on Occupational Cancers at the World Health Organisation, calling for national action plans to prevent exposure to dust, fumes and chemical products that are known to cause cancer. She also called for a Global Ban and National Action Programmes for the elimination of asbestos diseases.

ASIA & PACIFIC
As every year, BWI affiliates from the Asia Pacific region observed the annual IWMD event though various forms and activities. In India and South Korea, there were build-up activities during the week before IWMD, which culminated in mass demonstration and rallies.

Along with these activities, the media was engaged to cover dialogue with public officials and the employers’ organisation. The unions submitted petitions and demands which range from calling for total ban of asbestos, payment for victims of occupational accidents and injuries to strict enforcement of OSH-related rules and regulations.

Nepal
Consistent with its campaign activities, unions have made use of the BWI campaign on promoting OHS as an important global activity. Affiliates in the in the region have accorded priority to health and safety issues and this is aptly reflected in their increasing number of training and worksite activities. In Nepal, the unions have taken lead in using OHS as a tool to get into constructive dialogue with the Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal (FCAN).

In South Korea, the KFCITU had embarked on several building sector OSH activities and had linked the campaign on asbestos with unions in Japan. The Daejeon local union coordinated a photo exhibition on construction sites in commemoration of IWMD to highlight the importance of safety and decent working conditions for construction workers. Along with this event, distribution of brochures highlighting safety on construction sites was also conducted. The union organised a mass demonstration to highlight the dangers of asbestos and more importantly for recognition of asbestos-related disease as an occupational disease. Currently the Yeosoo local union has launched a campaign to gain recognition for one of its member’s who has been diagnosed with cancer as a result of exposure to asbestos at the work site as an occupational disease. Over 2,000 union members participated in this demonstration.

South Korea and Japan. There were ban asbestos campaign activities after IWMD also, such as the Korea-Japan Joint Symposium for Seeking Common Solution on Asbestos Issues. The KFCITU was one of the coordinators of the Joint Symposium that was held in Seoul, South Korea from May 18 to 19, 2007. Although many activists from both Japan and South Korea have met in a number of international conferences and meetings, this was the first time that a join symposium was held. The symposium was particularly important in light of the South Korean government’s announcement to ban asbestos. Many in South Korea wanted to use the experience from Japan particularly to address asbestos removal, public education, and government recognition for asbestos diseases as occupational diseases. As a follow-up activity on the Korea-Japan Joint Symposium, leaders of the KFCITU and Zenkensoren participated in an exchange workshop. Discussions focused on the respective union’s organizational structure, organizing activities, OHS activities specifically related to asbestos, and the social benefit programs such as workers compensation and health insurance for construction workers. The exchange was particularly informative and successful. The two unions agreed to continue to remain in contact and exchange further information. This joint work is continuing and another meeting was held in December.

Malaysia. UECI used 28th april to hold a joint forum with NCOSH, and to call on the Malaysian government to support the global campaign to ban asbestos. In return the government representative, Mr Omar Mat Piah, the Director of OSH Depart, for Federal Territory under the Ministry of Human Resource, publicly announced that the Chairman of NCOSH, who is also the Deputy Minister of Human Resource, has made in principle his support to the global campaign
In partnership with several OHS-related agencies and the Malaysia Trade Union Congress (MTUC), UECI conducted several training workshop, including four sessions of NIOSH Occupational Safety and Health Training from July to mid September 2007. 43 construction workers participated in the trainings conducted by NIOSH/UECI/MTUC with the partial sponsorship from SOCSO- the Malaysian Social Insurance System. These courses enabled the UECI to recruit new members. Under the same training programme partnership of the NIOSH/MTUC, there are two more trainings on competency for crane operators and scaffolding erectors planned for early 2008. UECI has completed their first special OSH Induction Course during the UECI Biennial General Meeting on 25th November 2007; this was attend by 44 participants.

In Indonesia, the F-KUI held a seminar on Public Contract and Asbestos as a follow-up activity from the meeting with seminar with Minister of Public Works on 4th February 2007. In this meeting, the Minister of Public Works agreed to prohibit the use of hazardous substances including asbestos in any government project. The seminar resolved to hold awareness raising campaign and tripartite seminar in four provinces of Riau island, East Java, Central Java and Banten to put pressure on local governments to reduce the use of asbestos.

ALU in the Philippines has been sustaining the campaign on asbestos particularly in the light of the introduction of a senate bill calling for its ban. On 29th November 35 ALU leaders, representatives from the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Occupational Safety and Health Centre (OSHC) and Bureau of Working Conditions (BRW) of the Department of Labour and Employment, Construction Industry of the Philippines (CIAP) of the Department of Trade and Industry and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) held another session of Round Table Discussion (RTD) to find common policy stance on use of asbestos. As a result, the ALU has adopted another action plan as follows:

Asbestos ban in the workplace and workers protection

Identify companies that use asbestos

Participants to discuss with their management if asbestos is present in their companies

Regular or monthly Focus Group Discussions with management on the hazards of asbestos and workers’ protection

Negotiate in the CBA the ban of asbestos in the worksite

Conduct special training for workers involved in handling asbestos

Produce Information, Education and Communication materials, conduct training on how to identify materials that contain asbestos

Push for the use of alternative materials

Policy/legislative campaigns

Follow up the status of petition submitted to the Office of the President

Set-up a meeting with the office of Senator Santiago to participate in the passage of the bill of Senator Santiago

Draft a counterpart bill in the House of Representatives and look for possible sponsor/s

Push for policy ban in the construction industry through CIAP

Produce IEC materials for the public and government agencies

Conduct workplace-level signature campaign in support of the ban

Initiate e-mail/letter/fax campaign for government officials and agencies

AFRICA
(a) April 28th Campaigns
In the Anglophone region five countries (Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda and Mauritius) and 11 unions in building, construction, wood and forestry took part in the 28 April campaigns. The central theme for all unions was around the banning of asbestos and other cancer causing materials in our sectors. In Kenya the 3 unions jointly held worksite meetings under the theme “No to asbestos, Save Lives, Save jobs”. Poster on the dangers of asbestos were posted at major sites and over 150 workers joined in a one day event which ended with a tree planting in memory of the dead and injured workers. Activities continued into the May Day celebrations under the same theme.

Kenya Unions

Three Kenya unions from building, quarry and paper printing will in cooperation with employers and workers from a pulp and paper printing company will join hands on site to remember workers who died or got injured in the course of duty. The theme is Cancer! No Thanks. At this gathering workers will demand the elimination of poor working conditions especially those conditions that lead to workers¹ ill health.

Events will include a candle light session, tool box meetings, news conference, rally and distribution of leaflets on occupational illness, causes and prevention strategies. The event is planned to conclude with a tree planting ceremony of over 300 seedlings on a plot provided by the company to mark the joint commitment of employers and workers towards promotion of sustainable and safe jobs. Other events are planned in other towns and workers will be encouraged to carry out symbolic events in their workplaces.

In Nigeria the theme was “Organizing Saves lives: Ban Asbestos”. The key activity took place at Julius Berger, which is one of the major construction MNCs in Nigeria and was attended by all the 250 workers of the company over a lunch hour event. Another follow up event was done at another national construction company Cappa & D Alberto and 400 workers attended.

In Malawi the two unions jointly organized an event that was addressed by a representative from the Ministry of Labour: OHS inspectorate followed by a question and answer session wherein workers asked the government its policy and commitment towards banning of the asbestos in Malawi. The event concluded with a candle light session in memorial of dead and injured workers.

In Mauritius major rallies were organized in the week 25-28 April, in a town where most houses are still being roofed by asbestos sheets. An awareness workshop was held for the community a day before April 28th and on the day itself posters were distributed in the community to sensitize community people on the dangers of asbestos.

Talks on OHS in general and in particual a sympathetic medical expert worked with the union highlighting the dangers of asbestos as a silent killer and delivering question and answer sessions focusing on asbestos.

In Uganda the event was held jointly with the national center (COTU), the Ministry of Labour and the ILO under the theme “Making Decent Work a Reality”. Workers from 10 construction sites were mobilized to participate.

In Zimbabwe the BWI Regional Education Secretary, responsible for OSH, undertook a solidarity mission which involved a meeting of the 5 BWI affiliates (ZFTATU, ZCATWU, ZEEWU, CSEA and GAPWUZ) in the country to share the ongoing work of BWI in the OHS project and distribute materials on asbestos since due to the current political and economic situation the unions could not do a campaign or gather workers to celebrate 28th April.

Materials Produced

All unions produced materials on “Ban Asbestos” which were adapted to the information workers needed clarity on. The information posted by BWI on the www.bwint.org was useful as background information. BWI posters were also used and distributed widely.

Unions in Nigeria and Mauritius recorded their events on videos, which were later shared with union branches in other parts of the country.

(b) National Activities:
During the week leading up to April 28th unions mentioned above held lunch hour activities and talks in construction companies to raise awareness about April 28th, its importance in workers OHS history and the theme for 2007. In Anglophone Africa local activities where held in Malawi (2 sites), Mauritius (1 site), and in Kenya (3).

(c)Local activities:
To spread recognition of the importance of OHS as a tool for organizing across to rank and file members additional lunch hour tool -box meetings were organized for selected construction union in Anglophone Africa: Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria. More than 400 workers were reached through these lunch hour meeting and Nigeria union reported new membership as workers signed membership forms after these sensitization meetings.

Francophone Africa
(a) April 28th Campaigns
On 26 and 27 April the BWI Africa francophone coordinator made a statement which was published in two daily newspapers “LE PAYS” and “L’OBSERVATEUR” which are the most read of Burkina Faso. This statement was focused on the BWI world wide Campaigns on OHS, HIV/AIDS and the ban of Asbestos. It was also a guide for trade unions leaders for the possible actions to be develop at the 28th April campaigns.

At the union’s level in Burkina Faso, a workplace campaign was organized for the use of protection and safety materials on the site of the career of Pissy in Ouagadougou where more than 450 women are working. This Campaign which gathered the leaders of all the trade unions affiliated to BWI (FTBBF, FNTCS, and SNTBB) was an occasion to insist on the risks incurred by the women worker and the need for protecting themselves and their children on the site. It was the first time that some protection materials were distributed to one hundred women working in worst conditions.

In Niger according to the report of the National Social Safety and pension office (CNSS), the statistics emphasize 4877 declared industrial injuries including 2231 with stop of work, 1051 commuting injuries, 127 fatalities and 6 cases of occupational diseases. Apart from these official figures many of workers of the Public work, Construction and the forestry sectors are victims of unreported injuries and diseases.
This situation must change and it is one of the objectives of the construction unions’ leaders in Niger when they were campaigning for the workers memorial day this 28th April 2007. Their messages were relayed by private FM radio station and private TV station “TV TENERE”.

In Chad a Press conference was held on the dangers of asbestos covered by 2 media on April 28th 2007.
After this event Two Meetings was organised at two workplaces to discuss on OHS issues in Construction and Building. The need for strengthening the OHS committees was highlighted at these meetings.

In Côte d’Ivoire the 28th April campaign was an opportunity for the construction Building and woodworkers to discuss with labour ministry officers in charge of Health and Safety. As the country is on a political crisis for several years the situation of OHS in Companies has deteriorated and there is a real need to reactivate the OHS committees.