2024-10-02 16:17

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Save Our Safety Campaign News Archive

In IWMD 2024 Week, Is The CWU About To Ditch Health & Safety As A Key Trade Union Issue
And Cut All It's H&S Resources?

Some 6 years after the original announcement by CWU’s General Secretary that the Union will be Re-Designed in order to downsize and reduce the Union's financial burden, along with job cuts, departments amalgamated or closed down altogether; the threat to the destruction of the CWU National Health, Safety, and Environment Department and it’s National Officer’s post has now come to fruition.

This month's rules revision Conference, could see the total abolition of CWU's health and safety structures, including the department and an elected national officer.

Taking place as it does leading up to the International Worker's Memorial Day 2024, it is with appalling irony that one the TUC affiliated Trade Unions is about to closedown its 29 year old H&S Dept and dismiss the post of a national H&S Officer "as totally unnecessary in order for the union to deal with health and safety."

Instead, the proposals to restructure H&S will place it in a 'call centre' called 'central services', with no one person responsible for providing H&S guidance and support. There will be no elected posts and ALL H&S Agreements in the future will have to be negotiated by the industrial executives despite there being no specialists with H&S knowledge on either exec.!

There is no current national proposals for any person in the 'central services' to have any H&S training or credentials, in line with the current dismissive attitude towards Health & Safety at work; and the belief that anyone can deal with H&S issues within the Union's two constituency executives.

image: Save Our Safety Campaign documentDespite a huge campaign across the CWU’s health & safety community, and beyond, since 2018 including various promises from the GS of the Union; the SOS Campaign document which was originally received with support from CWU HQ proposing a re-design of the Union’s Health & Safety structures, has been completely ignored.

The final proposals were discussed with the Health & Safety community within the Regions, who noticed there being no change in the original aim of abolishing both the H&S National post and the H&SE Dept completely.

Despite this, policy documents presented from CWU HQ for discussion and decision making at the Union’s Conference this month; lack actual detail as to how the policy on the CWU’s Health & Safety future structure and campaigning responsibility will finally look.

It appears that CWU USRs and Area Safety reps, are being asked to simply agree the non-detailed proposals and trust that CWU HQ will address the concerns of the CWU H&S community when they implement their version of Re-Design.

We await to see the two reports that were promised before Conference into how each Exec will implement the H&S changes.

Unionsafety has covered in detail, the history of the Abolition of Health & Safety as a priority within the CWU and the facilities it will provide in order to ensure it maintains its standing amongst the membership and the wider trade union movement, developed over 29 years by the current National Officer, Dave Joyce and the CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department he developed.

Below is a list of the major news articles covering what is now the final nails in the coffin of the CWU’s Health & Safety Department and its highly respected role within the TUC, the wider H&S community, the HSE; and even within the political arena concerned with Health & Safety.

CWU Says Goodbye To National H&S Officer And Health & Safety Campaigning!

Date Published

News Item
March 2018 Is The CWU About To Emulate British Business And Slash It's Health And Safety Structures And Costs?
  Re-Design Meeting Ignores Health & Safety Within The CWU
  CWU Abandons Inaugural National Awards Night
  CWU Launches New National Awards But Ignores Contribution Of Safety Reps
  CWU Launches Controversial Re-Design Of The Union
   
April 2018 CWU General Secretary Moves To Allay Fears Over Re-Design
  CWU Conference 2018 Health & Safety Fringe Meeting Once Again Tops Attendance Poll
  CWU Safety Reps Survey Launched
  Ahead Of IWMD 2018 Safety Reps Call For Expansion Of CWU H&S Department
  Urgent Petition To Prioritise Health & Safety At Work AS An Issue For TUC And All Trade Unions
   
May 2018 Health & Safety Is An Excellent Recruiting Tool - So Why Is It Seldom Used?
   
June 2018 Is The CWU About To Emulate British Business And Slash It's Health And Safety Structures And Costs?
  Is The Future Of Health Safety In The CWU Standing On A Cliff Edge?
  Unionsafety Petition Gets High Profile Political Support
  TUC's Frances O'Grady Pays Tribute To Union Safety Reps
  Undermining Of Health & Safety Within CWU Begins Prior To Special Conference
  Six Questions Branches Should Be Asking About The Future Of Health & Safety In The CWU
  Future Of CWU Health & Safety Dept And Regional Structures Set For Special Conference
  Safety Reps Call For Expansion Of CWU H&S Department
  NW BT Unions H&S Co-ord Chair Celebrates Greatest Trade Union Achievement: Health & Safety Legislation
  CWU Health & Safety And Disability Activist Featured In TUC 150 Year Celebration
  Chair's Message On Work Of Safety Reps And CWU's Re-Design Project
   
July 2018 Fears That Health And Safety Forums And Issues Will Be Blocked From Re-Design Conference
  Are Rumours Of A CWU Legal Services Take Over Of The CWU Health & Safety Department Justified?
  CWU Safety Reps Bring Joy To Little Boy Mauled By Dangerous Dogs In Liverpool
   
August 2018 Redesign Policy Documents Issued On The Eve Of H&S Forums Meeting With General Sec
  CWU Re-Design Regional Forums Announced - Will Branches Raise Future Of Health & Safety?
  CWU Health & Safety Community Request Meeting With CWU's GS Ahead Of Re-Design Conference
  Health & Safety Organisation In The CWU Survey Still Open
   
September 2018 **CWU Safety Reps Survey Launched**
  Is The CWU About To Emulate British Business And Slash It's Health And Safety Structures And Costs?
  Has Health And Safety Been Excluded From The CWU Re-Design Conference Agenda?
   
October 2018 From Small Acorn Of NW USRs To The Oak Tree Of National USRs Campaign To Grow CWU Health & Safety
   
November 2018 Some Things Are Worth Fighting For - Union Health And Safety IS A Matter Of Life & Death
  Health & Safety SOS Campaign Meeting With CWU's GS A Resounding Success
  Save Our Safety Campaign Report Into Future Of Health & Safety Organisation In CWU
  Future Voice Of Health & Safety In CWU Saved From Re-Design By Special Conference Motion 54
  The Future of CWU’s Health, Safety and Environment Structure Following Re-Design Of The Union
  Final SOS Campaign Draft Strategy Document Presented At National Officer's Chairs & Secretaries Meeting
   
January 2019 Save Our Safety Campaign Publishes Report Into Future Of Health & Safety Organisation In CWU
   
February 2019 CWU Safety Community Gives Up On Saving Health And Safety
   
November 2019 Save Our Safety Campaign Publishes Definitive Strategy Document
   
March 2024 CWU’s National H&SE Officer Dave Joyce To Retire
 
 
This list is not exhaustive and will be updated as additional news items are published on this website.

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