Health, Safety And Environment Debated At The CWU Conference 2013 Derek Maylor, Chair of the North West BT Unions Health & Safety Co-ord reports from the first day of conference at which important propositions dealing with health, safety and welfare issues were debated by delegates: In the first safety proposition it was decided to review and clarify agreements on health and safety compliance with all employers as a matter of urgency. In many companies where we have members there is insufficient support from the employer to include consultation for compliance and representation at all levels; this undermines the work to improve health and safety for members. Training for USRs representatives is paramount and the CWU has an excellent core training programme with several safety courses followed by the IOSH Diploma course leading up to the BA in Labour and Trade Union Studies in Health and Safety (BALTUS). However it was agreed that ongoing training is crucial and USRs need refresher training to keep them up to speed on changes to regulations, new legislation and so on. Adequate training will be made available, the frequency and duration of this will be addressed by Head Office following consultation. The provision of sun protection cream for external workers in BT is welcome and the same facility is to be sought in other industries for all external workers who are exposed to the effects of the sun whilst working. In the best proposition of the week, conference instructed the NEC to apply pressure on the relevant bodies so that work related road traffic accidents, now addressed as RTC's, are reported to the HSE and fall within the boundaries of RIDDOR regulations. This to include people travelling home from work: at the moment these accidents are not recorded as 'accidents in work', as such the number of industrial injuries and deaths published each year are not a true measure of work-related incidents. The hard work and dedication of safety representatives within the CWU across all companies is a cornerstone of trade unions and a proud part of the CWU. It was noted that with the staff reductions taking place across industries we have lost many active USRs. It was decided then to develop a range of tools and aids to enable branches to better encourage rank and file members to become USRs. |