B.C. LUMBER WORKER

DISTRICT SAFETY DIRECTOR JOHN T. ATKINSON, addres:

where he explained the organization

Thrasher, United Steel Workers.

and structure of the

the 46th National Safety Congress and Exposition, in Chicago, October 21,
t Safety Programme. Panel members from left, John Gruden, UAW, Local 100,
Detroit; John T., Panel Chairman, W. Callahan, Labour Representative, Oregon State Accident Committee; Ghizzoni, United Mine Workers;

Spanish miners plight
“spotlighted” by ICFTU

(The following article reprinted from the ICFTU News Spotlight, reports
that the Spanish workers under General Franco's regime, are deprived of any
type of accident prevention measures to protect them from death or injury on

the job. While the article deals mainly

workers in this country should find it interesting. reading, if for comparison

reasons only.)

The leaders of the State trade
unions are continually quoting
masses of labor legislation in or-
der'to show that General. Franco’s
regime looks after the workers’
welfare. These gentlemen would
do better to go and see for them-
selves the conditions under which
the Spanish workers must earn
their daily bread.

Tragic Facts

Tragic facts give the lie to
their ridiculous claims. Five hun-
dred people died in Spain through
accidents at work during the last
year (one worker every thirteen
and a half hours). Forty were
completely disabled and 400 were
obliged to change their jobs be-
cause of partial disability.

The number of accidents which
entailed more than seven days
absence from work amounted to
500,000. These figures represent
the number of accidents at work
and prove the inadequacy of the
protection measures prescribed
by the “most perfect and modern”
of legislations.

Scandalous Accidents

In certain undertakings the
number of accidents is truly scan-
dalous. For example, the firm of
de Buelna which manufacturers
metal products and belongs to
“Nueva Montana Quijano, S.A.”
registered a total of 647 accident
victims out of a total staff of
3,438. The details are as follows:
2 dead, 2 permanently partially
disabled and 643 injured.

The temporary incapacity of
each worker concerned was not
less than one month. In another
industrial enterprise belonging to
the same company, the de Nueva
Montana works, 919 accident vic-
tims were registered out of a
total of 2,670 wage earners: 3
dead; 4 permanently totally dis-
abled, 2 permanently partially
disabled and 910 injured. Absence
for each worker averaged three
weeks. In these works, one out of
every three workers is the victim
of an accident during each yearly
period.

Pension Report

In the report published by the

Miners’ Pension Office, it is re-

with the plight of the Spanish miners.

vealed that during June 1958, 22
miners were the victims of fatal
accidents in the Asturias region.
In this same area during July the
following accidents occurred: 8
miners died in a fire in the Aller
mine and fourteen others perished
in several mining accidents which
each caused the death of one or
two. On September 3, in the “Vil-
loria” mine, which belongs to the
“Fradera” company, at Pola de
Laviana, a fire-damp explosion in-
volved five new victims.

About two months ago in a
mine belonging to this same firm,
several other miners were victims
of a serious accident. The firm
concerned was deaf to this warn-
ing as to many others, and no
serious safety measures were ad-
opted. The circumstances in which
the accident in the “Villoria” mine
occurred give a clear idea of the
inhuman conditions under which
the minors work.

Tragic Chapter

This tragic chupter of accidents
in the mining zone of the Ast-|
urias explains why the spirit of
the miners is dominated more and
more by fear and even dread. At
the present time the Spanish
mines do not offer even the mini-
mum of safety which such dan-
gerous work demands. The selfish-
ness and blindness of the firms
concerned, the indifference of the
authorities, the negligence of the
useless and false State-run trade
unions and the frightened and
submissive officials, all result in
these scandalous and tragic cala-
mities.

For the miners, as for all other
workers, the smallest protest
means dismissal, deportation or
being under continual guard in a
town or village where he is re-
fused employment—he is domin-
ated by fear of the ‘informer’.
The Spanish miner, gripped by
hunger and the threat of force,
is exasperated. General Franco
and his so-called trade unions can
published their coal production
Statistics, but they are tainted
more and more every week with
the blood of the miners.

Some of the nearly two million indu
Workmen‘s Compensation |

HE SHOULD HAVE :
USED THE GUARD/ Accowmyrs are not entiral

chance. They are the combination

errors which follows with cert

natural physical laws of stress ar
cause and effect. \

Throughout the ages the sad 2

victims have clearly revealed the

which lead to tragedy. Yet y

of broken bodies, the mental torm

breaking anguish of family,
known risks.

The tragic parade of injt

intelligent heed is taken of the Ie

learn the folly of depending up
ability to accident.

FAILURE TO HEED THIS LES:
WHOLE

Workmen's Com
British <

jl

oe

MEAR ACCIDENTS ARE WARMWES
70 AVOID UNSAFE ACTS/