CWU's National Health, Safety and Environment Officer, Dave Joyce introduces this key event for all Union Safety Reps:
The 30th National Hazards Conference takes place at Keele University, from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th July 2019 and the CWU is once again pleased to be supporting and sponsoring this unique and popular event for Trade Union Safety Representatives.
Hazards Conference is the UK’s biggest and best educational and organising event for trade union safety reps and activists. It consists of a mixture of plenary sessions, meetings and a comprehensive workshop programme. It gives delegates the opportunity to exchange experience and information with, and learn from, safety reps and activists from other unions, sectors and jobs across the UK.
In 2019, this is the TUC Year of Young Workers. Additionally, the theme for 2019 International Workers Memorial day was Dangerous Substances. Both these themes will be prominent at this year’s conference.
Toxic work exposes workers, and their unborn children to dangerous substances: including dust, asbestos, silica, pesticides, cleaning products and other chemicals, fumes, diesel and gases. All of which can have life-threatening and life- long consequences.
Toxic work is also about unhealthy working conditions, lack of dignity and increased vulnerability being experienced at work. Too many workers are subjected to intolerable pressures. They are micro managed, tracked, tagged and some even now microchipped! Workers’ every movement and bodily function is being monitored and controlled in too many work places. Some workers even have to tolerate toilet breaks being timed, restricted and even denied.
Unacceptable disciplinary actions and punishments are meted out for normal bodily functions and woe betide those workers who need reasonable adjustments because of disabilities, illness, periods, pregnancy or menopause.
Workers face discrimination, bullying, sexual harassment and violence and their mental health is suffering in both the short and the long term. Insecure and zero hour contracts are rife, and some workers are employed on a week by week basis with no employment security, no regular income and they live in fear of losing their jobs as well as suffering from ill health and injuries at work, which they dare not complain about.
This conference will address all these important health and safety issues and provide delegates with the knowledge, confidence, and organising skills to challenge and change them.
The booking form is up on the Hazards Campaign website now, but can also be downloaded by clicking on the pic below:
The closing date for applications is Friday 5th July 2019
Conference Timings and Registration
Friday 26th July, 1.00 -7.30pm – Delegate registration
Friday 26th July, 7.30 – 9.00pm – Hazards opening plenary
Saturday 27th July, 7.30 – 9.00 am – Delegate registration
Sunday 28th July,12.30pm – Conference Close (followed by packed lunch)
The Hazards Campaign has recently launched the Hazards Campaign Manifesto for a Health and Safety System Fit for Workers: Decent Jobs and Decent Lives, and this will form part of Hazards 2019.
For more conference event information about the programme visit the 2019 Hazards Conference pages on the Hazards Campaign website at:
http://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/hazards-conference
For clarification or queries, contact Hazards at: telephone 0161 636 7558 or e-mail: hazconf@gmhazards.org.uk
Source: CWU / Hazards
