Last week the ITUC
joined the sign on campaign to alter the Rotterdam Convention by calling for international
action to stop the trade in chrysotile asbestos, a toxic form of the mineral
which is still being exported, including to developing countries.
The campaign sign on is at https://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=3387
A key step would be for
chrysotile to be included on the list of substances under the Rotterdam
Convention on trade in hazardous substances. Trade unions and many
governments will be pushing for the listing at the next international Rotterdam
Convention conference in Geneva starting on 24 April. Under its
current rules, full consensus is required to list a chemical so any single
country can block the inclusion of a substance on the list. The ITUC is
therefore also backing a proposal from 12 African governments to allow a 75%
majority vote when consensus is not possible. A small group of the 157
countries who have ratified the Convention, including Kazakhstan and Russia,
both exporters of chrysotile, have been blocking its inclusion on the list.
Canada, previously in the blocking camp, announced it would support inclusion
in 2012 after its last asbestos mines closed.
Sharan Burrow, ITUC
General Secretary, said “Asbestos, including chrysotile, is one of the biggest
industrial killers of all time. Tens of thousands of people die from it
each year, and it is scandalous that more than a hundred million people are
still exposed to chrysotile asbestos. Getting it on the Rotterdam list is
an important step towards protecting those, especially in developing countries,
who are increasingly being exposed to it.”
When a substance is
listed under the Rotterdam Convention, countries that export it are subjected
to obligations, including through the Prior Informed Consent provision which
allows receiving governments to decide if and how a substance can be
imported. Many developing countries, where much chrysotile is exported
to, want it listed. It has met all the conditions required for listing under
the convention. However asbestos companies and a small number of exporting
countries, with support of a Quebec-based front organisation called the
International Chrysotile Association (ICA), have managed to get the
recommendation for listing blocked for a decade. The ICA is notorious for
spreading false and misleading information to keep the chrysotile trade afloat.
“This is about
protecting workers and the general public, especially in developing countries,
by reducing their exposure to a substance that kills. We call on all
governments to support the listing of chrysotile, and for a change in the
voting rules of the Rotterdam Convention to stop just one or two countries from
blocking the listing of these hazardous substances. This change will simply
bring the Rotterdam Convention into line with voting rules in other
conventions. This would be a major step in encouraging more countries to join
the 60 who have already banned chrysotile and ending the deadly trade in
chrysotile altogether,” said Burrow.
To sign the LabourStart
petition “Stand with Rajendra” that will be presented to the meeting of parties
to the Convention on 2nd May, click https://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=3387
The focus of the
Labourstart campaign is the Asia pacific Region
NB - In 2016 PSI Asia
Pacific Local Government and Utility Unions looked at a range of issues
affecting workers in the region including the continuing use of asbestos along
with asbestos being located in waste materials, municipal dumps and the exposure
to old asbestos products including pipes and infrastructure in refits, new
infrastructure and post natural disasters. All of which can expose local
government and utility workers to asbestos.
The use of current
campaigns and stopping asbestos exposure through campaigns like BAN ASBESTOS
..where endorsed at both the Asia Pacific Local Government and Utilities
meeting in Surabaya as well as at the PSI AP Local Government and Utilities
workshop in October last at the AP Regional Congress.
If you can sign onto this " Labourstart petition ", its one way to help make our communities safer - Greg McLean
If you can sign onto this " Labourstart petition ", its one way to help make our communities safer - Greg McLean
