When anyone dies, it is important to remember them and their relatives as well as those we did not know personally but who also grieve. Public recognition of deceased workers is a recent phenomenon, even though we have commemorated and noted industrial disasters for over a century. Memorials have always provided a symbolic focus for our …
The Victorian commemoration of International Workers Memorial Day has held on28 April 2015 and was a major improvement on previous memorials. The politics was muted by the speakers. There was no tray truck of angry unionists yelling through tannoys and heading off half way through the event to a protest rally that they see as … Continue reading “Dignity and solemnity at Workers’ Memorial Day”
A short time ago the International Workers Memorial Day commemoration in Melbourne, Victoria, concluded. The ceremony was less sombre than in previous years with, it seemed, fewer families and relatives of deceased workers. Certainly there was no speech from a family member, nothing from workplace safety advocates other than the three trade union speakers, Meredith Peace, Brian … Continue reading “Red tape (again) and Obama’s support – Melbourne’s Workers’ Memorial Day 2014”
The next stage of a union campaign over the management of workers’ compensation premiums in Victoria occurred in late March 2012. Trade unions are angry that the Liberal Government of Premier Ted Baillieu has chosen to remove almost $A500 million from the Victorian Workcover Authority (VWA) fund to be allocated to general revenue. On the … Continue reading “Union protest is a dry run for Workcover Review and Workers’ Memorial Day”
In May 2011, the Australian Government announced the development of a National Worker’s Memorial. The winning design, selected by an independent jury from a competitive pool of 26 entries, was announced in Canberra this evening. Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten announced that Architects Johnson Pilton Walker have been awarded the task. In a media statement Shorten … Continue reading “New Workers’ Memorial announced for Australia”
Workplace safety is littered with good intentions that are not fulfilled but thankfully Tasmania has followed through on a pledge to create a workers’ memorial park. SafetyAtWorkBlog reported on the design launch by the, then, Minister for Workplace Relation Lisa Singh, two years ago. The Tasmanian Workers’ Memorial Park, located in Elizabeth Gardens, Launceston, was opened in … Continue reading “Tasmanian Workers’ Memorial Park officially opened”
Earlier this week, the Australian Treasurer, Wayne Swan, delivered the budget statements for the next 12 months. There were several issues that may have an impact on industrial relations and workplace safety over the next few years but the most obvious and tangible commitment was on the issue of a national worker’s memorial. According to … Continue reading “Australian Government moves to a national workers’ memorial”