Tuesday, December 05, 2006

ACTU ,UNIONS and ohs perspectives on the environmental /nuclear issue

ACTU opposes nuclear power station on OHS and environmental grounds


The ACTU last week voiced its strong opposition to the Howard Government's push to build up to 25 nuclear power plants in Australia and labelled the move as a distraction from the Government's ongoing failure to address the problem of global warming. Commenting on the release of a report on nuclear energy options, ACTU President Sharan Burrow said, ‘John Howard risks facing the next election as a referendum on both industrial relations and nuclear energy. The Coalition has been in government for ten years and has done nothing to respond to the problem of climate change. ‘



‘Unions oppose nuclear energy for Australia because it raises intractable problems in terms of safety for workers and the public, waste transport and storage, cost, nuclear weapons proliferation and terrorism. Dangerous levels of radiation are not safe for workers and not safe for the planet.’



During Asbestos Awareness Week, she added ‘Unions have led the successful campaign to ban deadly asbestos products and we do not want to see another potential industrial disaster from the release of toxic nuclear materials in Australia.’


Read more: ACTU Media Release

source

Tags: workers | risk | removed | Release | regulation | oppose | Nuclear | comment | asbestos | Howard | Government | Australia | actu

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