The international union campaign for next year, 2008, is
Zero Occupational Cancer (ZOC).
The Panel of speakers for this workshop were:
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Phillip Hazelton - National OHS Co-ordinator, Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union(AMWU)
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Martin Kingham - National Assistant Secretary Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) Construction Division
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Tony Medina - the Alimta campaign
The key points raised by Phillip Hazelton:
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Occupational related cancer is the biggest workplace killer globally and in Australia
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Yet it has no profile and little government or industry attention
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The real level of risk is deliberately downplayed
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The AMWU has joined the global unions' Zero Occupational Cancer Campaign this year. (see: Occupational cancer/Zero Cancer: A union guide to prevention (2007) [pdf]. International Metalworkers’ Federation). It can also be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
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ACTU will make the ZOCC the key union campaign for 2008
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Ideas and recommendations from the workshop can feed into that campaign
(download Phillip's Powerpoint presentation at the bottom of this page)
Participants at the ‘Zero Occupational Cancer Campaign’ workshop also raised a number of issues, supporting the inclusion of a number of aspects in the campaign. These included support for the current Alimta campaign, and an effective, funded National Mesothelioma Register.