Highest Standards for Harmonised OHS Laws
The ACTU has initiated a new campaign to deliver the highest standards for harmonised OH & S laws.
Background
At present there are nine different OH&S Laws operating in Australia. The Federal Government and all the States and Territory Governments have agreed to move towards a simpler more streamlined approach to OH & S law in Australia. In fact, many State governments have already made agreements to deal with cross border issues on OH&S and some aspects of workers compensation law.
Employer Associations have been lobbying Federal and State governments for years to adopt a single national OH&S system claiming that confusion and red tape are preventing good OH&S Laws. When Howard got control of the Senate we saw what the employer’s real agenda was. Howard stripped back worker’s rights and benefits under Federal OH&S Law and changed the federal Workers Compensation Act to allow some National employers to escape from the State laws to Federal laws. He tried to remove the Trade Union right of entry, the right of unions to represent their members, the right for Unions to sue under NSW law and escape industrial manslaughter legislation being adopted to varying degrees by some governments
Unions have supported harmonisation, not for the same reasons as employers to reduce workers rights to the worst OH&S Law in Australia, but in fact to use the harmonisation agenda to increase the rights of all workers to the best OH&S law operating in Australia as the basis of any national OH&S Model law.
We believe workers have
- the right to a safe and healthy working environment
- a right to know what hazards they are exposed to
- a right to refuse unsafe work
- a right to be involved in and negotiate how hazards are identified, assessed, eliminated or controlled monitored and reviewed at work
- a right to act to protect and advance their health and safety at work including determining who represents them and participate in activities that will increase their rights at work in relation to OH & S
What's at stake
- workers will be at greater risk of harm in the workplace
- workers will be disadvantaged by the new laws
What you can do
Sign our online petition here
Download the OHS Harmonisation Campaign Kit below
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