CLASS ACT

Hazards 91 photofeature, July-September 2005

Unions in the state of Victoria, Australia, have been breaking new ground on workplace health and safety for over 150 years. Victorian Trades Hall Council’s Cathy Butcher explains how unions organise for working people’s rights in the workplace and on the streets.

Victoria’s unions, campaigning under the slogan “Eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest”, were the first in the world to win an eight hour day. That was 150 years ago – and the innovative habit is one Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) has never lost. VTHC, which coordinates activities for unions in the state, was also the first to win the right for workplace safety reps to issue provisional improvement notices in 1985 (Hazards 76). It campaigned for and won regulations to prevent repetitive strain injuries by 1989, when elsewhere the problem was barely recognised and largely ignored. order

Enough said Hazards 91 July-Sep 2005 Order the photospread

Find out more about VTHC

VTHC website: www.vthc.org.au
OHS Reps website: www.ohsrep.org.au

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