possible job action needed???

tsi
Posts: 72 Joined: 04-04-08
Submitted by tsi on 10 May, 2008 - 01:12.

this is a bit of a complicated situation, but I just thought I'd see what sort of advice I could get on here on this issue.

I'm relatively new at a job, but here's what I understand of the situation: for the past several years the company has been cutting back on spending on maintenance and this has resulted in workers having to take on tasks that they previously didn't have to do (and that they don't have training for), in dealing with this unmaintained equipment.

On the job injuries have been steadily on the rise. If current trends hold, it's likely that 08's recorded injuries will be roughly double that of 07's.

There is a lot of ongoing talks from management about "safety", but no real signs of willingness to spend any extra money to maintain a safe work environment. A lot of this discussion really looks to me like a way of externalizing the costs of safety & maintenance (onto the workers, who must increase their productivity to make up for the cuts), and to blame the workers whenever something goes wrong. Many of the workers see it this way, not just myself.

What do you do in a situation like this???? My first thought is that an organized and deliberate effort to "go slow" and maintain a safe working environment is probably the most logical strategy, although I'm not truly sure how effective it would be... especially when there is the odd person who wants to act like a hero and work in unsafe conditions doing things that aren't in their job description.

martinh "Wears loud shirts for the poor & oppressed"
Posts: 854 Joined: 08-03-06 Location: South East London
10 May, 2008 - 12:41

Hi Tsi,
It depends a bit on where you are. The go-slow idea sounds good, though in UK law there is a right that allows you to walk out if your workplace is unsafe.

But assuming you wnat to do something abuot it collectively, I'd say get a meeting with workmates together and discuss what options you have. Agree abot them and get everyone to stick to it. Get a delegation together to go to the boss (I'm guessing there's no union recognised where you are anyway). Cover each others' backs and be prepared to take action.This could just be identifying a particularly dangerous machine and refusing to work on it.

Hope this helps,

REgards,

Martin

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1707 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
12 May, 2008 - 19:39

are you in the UK? is there a recognised union, or H&S rep?

you should ask to see copies of all related risk assessments - these must be done, and must be "suitable and sufficient". If they are not you can go from there...

tsi
Posts: 72 Joined: 04-04-08
12 May, 2008 - 23:14

hey! thanx a lot for the responses. no, not UK, Canada. there is a recognized union and the shop stewards have been working pretty hard on this for a while, but it hasn't really gotten tremendous results yet.

the last thing that I heard is that we are going with a strategy of refusing to work with unsafe equipment, although this only addresses part of the issue as much of the time it isn't clear what is or isn't safe to work with until someone gets hurt.

I have been talking with people a bit, and it does seem that some sort of collective action is at least possible, and needed. I'm going to talk to the shop stewards some more to find out what else has been discussed or tried in the past.

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1707 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
14 May, 2008 - 15:50
tsi wrote:
hey! thanx a lot for the responses. no, not UK, Canada. there is a recognized union and the shop stewards have been working pretty hard on this for a while, but it hasn't really gotten tremendous results yet.

the last thing that I heard is that we are going with a strategy of refusing to work with unsafe equipment, although this only addresses part of the issue as much of the time it isn't clear what is or isn't safe to work with until someone gets hurt.

I have been talking with people a bit, and it does seem that some sort of collective action is at least possible, and needed. I'm going to talk to the shop stewards some more to find out what else has been discussed or tried in the past.

ok cool that sounds good - my first thought was a boycott, but if it's not clear what's safe as you say that's a problem. often H&S union reps can get caught up in endless meetings. you are right to have the focus on organising collective action - this is what will get results. a go-slow or work-to-rule of some kind sounds good. keep us informed, and good luck!

Kim Müller
Posts: 61 Joined: 13-12-07 Location: Sweden
14 May, 2008 - 20:53

if it is possible then sabotage could be a good way to go forward. Breaking the machines that is unsafe.