Calls for Stricter Health and Safety Laws Before Country Reopens

The ACTU has renewed calls for stricter workplace health and safety laws to be developed before the mass return to work after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted following comments by the owner of Cedar Meats, the epicentre of a coronavirus cluster, that they complied “with all the requirements” they were forced to comply with.

The ACTU says the Cedar Meats case highlights the fact that businesses do “only what is required of them by law” and that advice and guidance are “flimsy protections for workers in the face of a profit motive.”

As of May 7, thirteen more coronavirus cases had been linked to the cluster at the Melbourne meatworks, bringing the total to 62. Of the 13 new cases, 7 were workers and six were close contacts of workers at the facility.

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said current health and safety laws were inadequate to deal with the Coronavirus.

“In order to avoid a second wave of infections we need better protections and strong enforcement. Physical distancing is absolutely essential in all workplaces to minimise the chances of the virus spreading, we need laws to ensure this happens as it cannot be “business as usual” when workplaces reopen.”

McManus said labour-hire and other casual workers were particularly at risk because a lack of sick leave meant they were less likely to stay at home or get tested if they have mild symptoms they might mistake for the flu.

“All workers need to know they can go and get tested and isolate if they have any symptoms whatsoever without losing income. This is the only way to ensure all workers are encouraged to be tested and to isolate. We know the high rate of casualisation in our workforce is a big risk to the virus spreading again. We can address this by giving all workers paid pandemic leave so they do not go to work when sick.

“During a pandemic, no workplace is an island. It will not be just the 45 workers who are affected because of weak compliance and no paid pandemic leave, it will be everyone they came in contact with.”

“It only takes one workplace for an outbreak to occur and the whole community is affected, we will face this en-mass if the economy is to reopen, so let’s learn from this example and put in place all the protections we need to give Australia the best chance of reopening safely.”

As other states begin to ease restrictions, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed Victoria’s stage three restrictions would not change until the State of Emergency ended on Monday the 11th of May.

“Monday the 11th of May will provide us with an opportunity to, as we’ve said all along, to update you both on test results and on the rules that will apply, certainly for May.”