27 April 2005
On International Workers' Memorial Day, April 28 2005, families of workers killed at work will hold a press conference outside the breakfast hosted by Kevin Andrews, the Minister for Workplace Relations and Employment, demanding to meet with him.
Members of the Industrial Deaths Support and Advocacy group (IDSA) will join trade union health and safety reps in expressing their concerns over a number of recent policy decisions by the Federal Government that puts workers' health and safety at risk and undermines hard-won entitlements for people injured or killed on the job.
'We are concerned that whilst the Federal Government has been making these decisions, they have failed to consult with those affected the most: the families of workers killed and injured on the job. Instead of abolishing important bodies like the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, the government should be getting serious about making workplaces safer,' Jack May, President of IDSA said today.
'We will be outside the breakfast seeking a meeting with the Minister because he needs to hear our stories. Our son died a long time ago, and yet these unnecessary and preventable deaths keep happening. No family should have to go through what we have gone through,' Deanne May, Secretary of the IDSA added.
Jack and Deanne's son, Gary May, was killed in his workplace at the age of 21. An explosion fuelled by unlabelled sodium nitrate caused 85% burns to his body. Gary died in hospital alongside 3 others.
In 2004, 29 people died in traumatic deaths in Victoria. So far this year, 9 people have died. These figures do not include the large numbers of people who die from non-traumatic work-related deaths, such as diseases caused by asbestos. Research by Access Economics suggests that between 4,900 and 8,200 Australians die each year of work-related causes.
'Instead of working cooperatively with victims of workplaces accidents, their families and advocates such as unions and the IDSA, Kevin Andrews has chosen to go down the path of destabilising the workers' compensation systems of the states. By allowing major contributors to the viability of state systems to abscond to the Commonwealth's own scheme, which gives injured workers less rights and sub-standard payouts, the Federal Government is adding to the already significant grief of the families of killed workers,' Michele O'Neil, Victorian Trades Hall Council President said today.
'The upshot of the Government's actions will be that mum and dad businesses will be left to shoulder the burden of state compensation systems, and workers' entitlements will get severely reduced. Families will have to live not only without their loved ones, but also without the financial security that the current state system provides,' Ms O'Neil concluded.
Unionists attending the breakfast will urge Minister Andrews to come out and meet the families of killed workers.
Where: Melbourne Town Hall, 90 -120 Swanston Street, Melbourne
When: 9.00 am, Thursday, April 28
Who: Industrial Deaths Support and Advocacy and Victorian Trades Hall Council members
Following the press conference outside the breakfast, IDSA and the VTHC will host a commemoration service outside the Workers' Memorial rock at the Trades Hall, which will include a minute's silence and the launch of a major OHS representatives' recruitment campaign.
For comment, contact Deanne May (IDSA) on 0414 763 143 or Michele O'Neil (VTHC) on 0419 338 853
For further information, please contact Andrea Maksimovic on 0410 685 600