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Re-educate ourselves. Health and safety needs to be a far higher union priority at this time… …as we have not ‘cracked it’; it has not ‘gone off the radar’, and the current political changes are not being sufficiently challenged
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Re-educate ourselves • Health and safety needs to be a far higher union priority at this time… • …as we have not ‘cracked it’; it has not ‘gone off the radar’, and the current political changes are not being sufficiently challenged • Indeed, much of what is happening is occurring with little scrutiny, and much right wing applause • We have to act now to stop further damage being inflicted through the back door
How do we do this? • Use the real figures and give a clear picture • Workplace meetings • Branch meetings • Union Congresses and motions • TUC, Labour Party and beyond
Asda Distribution • Longstanding dispute over health effects of upping pick rate • Made pay negotiations conditional on long-term HSL OH study • Used issue to improve worker involvement, generate momentum and develop joint ways of working
Safeguard Objectives • Tackling work-related violence against Security Officers (not CVIT) • Ensuring proper sick pay and IOD schemes • Encouraging robust reporting and thorough root cause analysis of incidents • Sharing the learning and developing best practice • Encouraging security companies and their clients to work together to tackle these issues
Background: The Job • Peripatetic workforce • Retail Sites • Job Centres • Shopping Centres • Warehouses • Docks • Government Buildings • High Security Installations • Little to no co-operation between client and security company on H&S arrangements
Background: The issues • Lack of reporting • Lack of IOD or sick payments • Failure to investigate incidents properly • Failure to apply lessons from one incident to next • Attacks treated as crimes, rather than h&s failures
Background: The workers • Overwhelmingly male workforce • Typically either ex-Military or Police forces, or Migrant Workers • Literacy and comprehension issues • Macho culture and tolerance of violence as “part of the job” • Worker involvement almost non-existent