Promoting a Healthy Agenda: Overcoming Barriers to Safety Reps' Rights

1. This equipment was donated by Thompsons solicitors The Quality of Working Life: Promoting a Healthy Agenda Wednesday 6th February 2008

2. Safety reps and community campaigning Graham Petersen UCU Branch H+S Officer, and Secretary of South London Action on Safety and Health Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008

3. How barriers to safety reps rights can be overcome • Utilise existing rights more effectively: ~ SRSC Reg. 4A – Consultation measures ~ MHSW Reg. 4 – Control measures ~ Disability Discrimination Act – reasonable adjustments Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008

4. How barriers to safety reps rights can be overcome • Greater focus on members main concerns: ~ Health issues and working methods ~ Use of brief and simple surveys ~ Improvements in occupational health services provision ~ Improved co-ordination on issues where there is h+s overlap ~ Training of reps Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008

5. Responses needed to ‘individualisation of responsibility and marginalisation of collectivism’ • Use health and safety to increase membership density : Case Study: UCU at South Thames College ~ 25% increase in membership in 2 years ~ doubled the number of union reps with H+S reps and environmental reps on each site for the first time ~ achieved through initiatives like Bullying survey Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008

6. Responses to ‘individualisation of responsibility and marginalisation of collectivism’ Local Organising Strategy not a top down approach ~ Generation of branch organising funds through Workers Beer Company server team. ~ Support / mentoring for Branch Organiser from BWTUC Organising Centre ~ Development of a safety rep network Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008

7. Responses to ‘new ways of thinking in the governance of h+s’ More community engagement Case Study: Battersea Crane Disaster Action Group (BCDAG) • Very successful campaign ~ Developed a new group of activists ~ Kept the issue of crane safety in the public eye ~ Pressure on local and national politicians ~ Standard setting in the industry ~ Pressure on the HSE Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008

8. Responses to ‘new ways of thinking in the governance of h+s’ Lessons of the BCDAG ~ Importance of a network of safety reps and other campaigners ~ Importance of involvement of members of the community and family of the dead ~ Acting together a powerful alliance ~ Politicians, employers and the media put on the defensive Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008

9. Responses to ‘new ways of thinking in the governance of h+s’ • Increase the pressure for: ~ rejection of any DBERR reduction in standards ~ legislative change in UK and Europe ~ effective enforcement regimes ~ higher penalties for offences ~ using CMCH law in conjunction with IoD and HSC guidance to improve SMS Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008

10. SLASH AGM 7.00pm,Thursday, 13th March, 2008 Bread and Roses, 68 Clapham Manor St, London SW4 Buffet followed by presentations on: • ’10 years on and what have you got’ - The Government record on health and safety • Occupational Health - preparing for effective interventions in the lead up to Workers Memorial Day • Update on the BCDAG campaign • SLASH strategy for 2008 Institute of Employment Rights Quality of Working Life Wednesday 6th February 2008