I.W.A. hosts IFBWW conference

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e National I.W.A. President Dave Haggard greeted visitors from unions in

ten countries.

he I.W.A. tossed its hat further into the interna- tional arena when it host- ed a multi-nation trade union conference of the International Federation of Build- ing and Wood Workers. Twenty-five delegates from 10 countries were in attendance at a conference on Wood and Forestry issues which was held pena m; B.C. on April 15 and

Delegates from Sweden, Ger- many, Australia, Canada, the Unit- ed States, Panama, Malaysia, Chile, Brazil, and Ghana attend the ses- sion to discuss and debate two major issues: that of an international code of occupational health and safety practices for forestry work; and an international certification procedure for sustainable forests and forest products.

The I.W.A. has been a charter member of the international organi- zation since 1988 and is currently represented on its International Executive Council as the delegate for the North American sector.

“We were very pleased to have hosted this very important confer- ence which will have international ramifications,” said I.W.A. CANA- DA President Dave Haggard. “We consider the IFBWW to be an impor- tant forum for the input of Canadi- an workers into the policy debates of the organization.”

Haggard said that I.W.A. CANA- DA can be of assistance in helping trade unionists in other countries set higher standards for occupation- al health and safety and help IFBWW affiliates achieve interna- tionally recognized standards of sustainable forest practices.

IFBWW Industrial Relations Sec- retary Marion Hellmann-Theurer said that delegates were on Vancou- ver Island for the first time to learn more about forest practices in Cana-

a.

“We are here to acquire first-hand knowledge of the Forest Practices Code in British Columbia and how it can relate to what we are trying to achieve on the international scene,” said Mr. Hellman-Theurer in an interview with the Lumber- worker.

The conference was chaired by Gunnar Karlsson, President of the Swedish Wood Industry Workers’ Union and Mr. Hellmann-Theurer. ~

Mr. Karlsson said that unions in several countries have already begun work on certification of sustainable

6/LUMBERWORKERJJULY 1997

forest practices and forest products. He said that unions in Nordic coun- tries are accepting that this must be done. 5

Karlsson said that former East- ern European bloc countries are now entering the marketplace and that there is fast expansion of the forest industry in these countries and that many companies in West- ern Europe and investing in the for- mer communist nations.

“Since it is changing we, from the side of the union, have to partici- pate in the process,” Karlsson told delegates. He said that western unions have to help unions in for- mer Eastern Europe.

Mr. Hellmann-Theurer said IFBWW affiliates must develop a trade union position on certification of forestry practices and forest prod- ucts. He said that safety and health issues are key ones for the interna- tional federation.

Jill Bowling, a recently-hired IFBBW representative who origi- nates from the trade union move- ment in Australia told the delegates that “the union movement has the power and authority to ensure that workers are protected” in both the areas of certification and occupa- tional health and safety.

She said it is the IFBWW’s inten- tion to assist it affiliates on a global basis.

The IFBWW’s mandate includes direct assistance to those affiliate countries who most need it. It also works to increase awareness of the IFBWW’s positions in third world countries while empowering affili- ates to discuss national issues in their own countries.

The IFBWW assists wood worker and building unions organize and influence government policies and strengthens political lobbying efforts of affiliates.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

The IFBWW is throwing its sup- port behind the International Labour Organization as it gears up fora September meeting to introduce an international Code of Practice for Safety and Health in forestry.

At the Nanaimo conference Dr. Peter Poschen, a Forestry and Wood Industry Specialist from the ILO in Geneva, presented an overview of the organization’s work in recent years. In 1991 there was a second session of Forestry and Wood Indus- try representatives which directed

the ILO the develop such a code. In 1996, the ILO’s governing body directed its members to prepare of code for a summit meeting in Sep- tember of 1997. The organizing work is well underway.

Dr. Poschen said the forest indus- try is one of the three most danger- ous sectors in any country in the world where forestry is of signifi- cant importance. The other two dan- gerous sectors, for fatalities and permanent disabilities, are con- struction and mining.

He said that the new code will deal with expanding technologies and make recommendations for national code of standards for every- thing from logging with oxen to the most technologically advanced equipment.

The code will not overlook health- related issues such as the manual handling and loading of logs and the nutritional requirements that work- ers face for heavy work in the indus- try. It will also deal with camp con- ditions and travel conditions and set basic standards for both.

Technical skills training will be a central part of the upcoming ILO code. Poschen said that workers in some central and northern Euro- pean countries do now receive group training but that it is largely unheard of in third world countries.

In the country of Malaysia the most recent statistics reveal that there are 7 deaths per million cubic meters of wood harvested, which is the worst known record in the world. In Chile, as the forest industry has expanded, there has been a 20% rise in serious accidents in the past five years. In the United States there has been a startling 19% rise in such accidents during the same time period.

Dr. Poschen said that forest har- vesting activity accounts for over 70% of accidents in the industry worldwide.

He said that mechanization has brought some serious accidents in some countries down by a factor of four. However there are significant- ly more health problems as a result. Musculoskeletal injuries are on the rise due to repetitive motion and poor work postures.

Because machine operators are having more health problems, there

is a marked trend to early retire- ment as the drop-out rate increases. He said that contractors, have higher accident and injury rates than parent company crews. Con- tractor of are put in the “worst jobs with the lowest rates (of pay).” Therefore there is a need to con- centrate on the worker training delivery system before it gets to the worker. Poshcen said that decisions must be made about training and accident prevention by those who have upstream responsibilities.

STRUCTURE OF CODE

Dr. Poshen said that the new LL.O. code will cover all work in the forest industry and that in needs to be relevant and practical for most companies and countries. It will be structured to be user-friendly and be responsive to the diverse techni- cal differences that exist from coun- try to country.

The I.L.O. will call for the enact- ment of the occupational health and safety code at three levels: the national level, the enterprise level and the worksite level.

At the national level, signatory countries must adopt legal and insti- tutional frameworks to deliver and enforce the internationally recog- nized standards.

At the enterprise level there needs to a high level of commitment from employers. Poshen said that enter- prises must identify all workplace- related risks and put aversion strate- gies into place. They also need to provide organization and resources to communicate, inform and moni- tor work practices.

He said that the Code will be pub- lished in plain language and be made available by mid-July of this year when a draft will be sent to member states of the ILO and their respective workers and employers.

In September of 1997 ance will be a meeting of 30 technical experts from Canada, the U.S. Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Malaysia, Gabon, South Africa and Czechoslovakia to examine the text of the draft.

In November of 1997 the final- ized code will be delivered to the ILO In 1998-99 there will be a bud- get allocated through the organiza- tion to promote the code interna- tionally.

e IFBWW delegates were given a tour of TimberWest logging operations

at Honeymoon Bay division and Nanaimo Lake division. is Local 1-80 First Vice President Carmen Rocco.

foreground

Photo by Allan Lundgren