Workers' Memorial Day: Victims Mourned amid Widespread Calls for a Global Ban on Asbestos
The slogan: Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living was repeated at events held on April 28 to commemorate Workers' Memorial Day in Latin America, North America and Europe.1 Guy Ryder, the General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), announced that activities had been organized by the ICFTU and global unions in 110 countries. The ICFTU Press Release said:
“The International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers will be an occasion for trade unions to examine the impacts of asbestos, ergonomics, HIV/AIDS, chemicals, psycho-social issues, violence at work and work in construction or by young workers, as issues that reflect poor workplace management and uncaring employers.”
In the run-up to Workers' Memorial Day, trade unionists who attended a meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) called for governments to cooperate in achieving a world-wide asbestos ban. Bjorn Erikson, of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, told delegates:
The (asbestos) issue is relevant to CSD discussions about human settlements because asbestos is still used throughout the world and in the construction of buildings and in manufacturing;
Asbestos is a threat to everyone, from children in schools, to young and old in private and public buildings where asbestos is present and to whole communities where it exists as a pollutant;
It has become an urgent necessity to stop all production and trade of asbestos;
While the use and imports of asbestos is declining in industrialized countries, imports and consumption is on the rise in developing countries where little or no protection is available for those exposed to it.
In commemoration activities held in Brazil, Canada and the UK, asbestos victims and public health campaigners called for a global asbestos ban and justice for all who are suffering from asbestos diseases; national governments and asbestos stakeholders were condemned for their impotence, disregard and dishonesty at their complicity with the continued persecution of asbestos victims. Against this backdrop of local action, international labor groups and medical associations intensified efforts to highlight asbestos issues at high-profile forums.
The events which took place on April 28 in São São Paulo provided the focal point of a week of activity which drew attention to Brazil's enduring and tragic asbestos legacy. Thousands of former asbestos workers, asbestos victims and family members joined trade unionists, environmentalists, public health activists, civil servants, politicians, concerned citizens and members of social movements at events such as a meeting in the Osasco Municipal Auditorium, a rally at the union hall in Campinas, street demonstrations and a high-profile tribunal held in São Paulo to examine the aftermath of decades of asbestos use in Brazil. The Asbestos Tribunal, the centerpiece of the week's activities, was held on April 28 at the prestigious law school of the University of São Paulo.
 |
| Asbestos Tribunal |
This unique event was supported by dozens of groups including victims' organizations, human rights and environmental organizations, trade unions, legal associations, occupational health and physicians' groups. Law School faculty members acted as judge, prosecutor and defence counsel for the asbestos industry, as representatives from the Brazilian asbestos industry declined to participate. The tribunal was attended by several hundred people in a theater hall of the law school; simultaneous Portuguese-English translation was provided.
The case against asbestos was presented by technical specialists Engineer Fernanda Giannasi, Dr. Barry Castleman and Dr. René Mendes. These witnesses were questioned briefly, and then the jurors came to the podium to make brief statements. Speakers representing law, public health, labor and human rights' groups concluded that asbestos should be banned in Brazil. This event received widespread media coverage and coincided with the filing of a class action lawsuit against Brasilit, a subsidiary of the French multinational, Saint-Gobain. Brasilit, a former producer of asbestos-cement products, now uses polypropylene fibers made in Brazil as an asbestos substitute. The class action seeks compensation for asbestos injuries sustained by former Brasilit asbestos workers
 |
| Eliezer Joćo de Souza of ABREA |
Shortly after these events took place, an article was published in época magazine, one of Brazil's most widely read weekly publications, denouncing Government inaction on asbestos. The article, which was entitled: While the Government Vacillates, Society Advances2 highlighted the Government's failure to deliver on it's promise to ban asbestos. The Interministerial Commission on Asbestos set up a year ago to investigate the country's asbestos crisis and devise a national strategy has been exposed as an administrative sham after its 1,000 page report exposed the continuing disagreement amongst Brazilian Ministers. Although the Ministers for Health, Work, Environment and National Security support a national asbestos ban, the Ministers of Development and Mines and Energy oppose such action. Commenting on the “fiasco” of this exercise, época wrote: “one year of meetings and public hearings paid for by the Brazilian taxpayers, the interministerial commission reached one conclusion: it decided that it has decided nothing.” In the end, the época article concluded, the decision on whether Brazil would follow the European Community and the majority of developed countries which have banned asbestos or leave the health of Brazilian workers to the “mercy” of asbestos companies operating in Brazil would be up to President Lula.
Canadian campaigners from the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) marked April 28 with the distribution of thousands of buttons depicting the imprisonment of a cartoon character made of asbestos; the slogan Ban Asbestos and Bannir L'Amiante encircles the central image of fiberman.3
 |
In Sarnia on April 28 a Day of Mourning commemorated the loss of many Canadians who worked and lived in “the Chemical Valley.” Sandy Kinart, who lost her husband Blayne to asbestos cancer a year ago, said: “Asbestos is a legacy of the past in Sarnia. For our country to sell it to Third World countries, for them it will be a legacy of the future.” Dr. Jim Brophy, Director of Sarnia's OHCOW, echoed these sentiments; he said that Canada's export of asbestos was a “criminal” act which defiled the memories of so many Canadian asbestos victims. Sarnia's Mayor Mike Bradley told the gathering that local criticism of Canada's global asbestos trade had been ignored by central government as the “fight to stop Canadian asbestos exports does not fall under the municipal jurisdiction.” The Mayor's response was: “drive by Lakeview Cemetery and then tell us this is not our jurisdiction. We are exporting death.” In nearby Windsor, an event was held at Coventry Gardens, at which Lucie Bechard, whose husband, uncle and brother died of occupational diseases, demanded that the community ”push our government to enforce health and safety laws.” Carnations were laid at the base of the Workers' Monument by asbestos widow Lucie Bechard, Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis and local Members of Parliament Joe Comartin and Brian Masse who used this opportunity to criticize the continuing export of Canadian asbestos with Masse saying: “Canada is quite literally a merchant of death.” At a memorial outside the London and District Labour Council's headquarters in London, Ontario, flags were lowered to commemorate the “hidden epidemic of those injured and killed by unsafe working practices." The hypocrisy of the Canadian government was exposed by a speaker who noted the fact that whilst the Ottawa Government is spending $1 billion to remove asbestos from federal buildings, it continues to support the drive to export Canadian asbestos. On April 28, the Canadian Autoworkers' Union (CAW) reiterated its demands that the federal government withdraw political and economic support from the Canadian asbestos industry; furthermore, the CAW urged “the government to provide re-training, re-location and income assistance for the miners and members of the Quebec communities where asbestos is still mined.”
A candle-light vigil marked April 28 in Rochdale, England, formerly the location of the biggest asbestos factory in the world. Local people, many of whom have lost loved ones to asbestos diseases contracted at Turner & Newall's asbestos textile factory, are appalled at half-baked plans to “redevelop” the redundant industrial site which is contaminated with asbestos waste accumulated over several decades. Speaking at the vigil, Jason Addy, co-ordinator of the grass-roots group: Save Spodden Valley, said:
“Wherever there is asbestos, there appears to be huge profits. But at what cost?… Nellie Kershaw (the world's first acknowledged victim of asbestos died in Rochdale in 1924) lies in an unmarked 'paupers' grave in Rochdale cemetery. She died aged 33, a mother to 2 children. On Workers' memorial Day 2005, we ask that a simple stone be placed in Rochdale's memorial garden to remember all the victims of asbestos disease.”
During the electioneering which preceded voting on May 5, Rochdale candidates Paul Rowen (Liberal Democrat)4 and Lorna Fitzsimons (Labour) supported calls for this permanent memorial.
In Bradford, a public meeting was held at the Midlands Hotel. After a heartfelt lament played on Northumbrian pipes, Nurse Mavis Robinson spoke of the devastating effect asbestos has on people's lives. There is no cure, Mavis said, for mesothelioma, an asbestos cancer. The testimony of an asbestos widow, whose husband died in 2004, provided further evidence of the inevitability of this appalling disease; within fourteen months, her husband had been transformed from a healthy man to someone who was in constant pain. Tony Whitston, representing Northern Asbestos Support Groups, was appalled that sales of asbestos to developing countries are increasing while Asbestos Personal Injury Solicitors Ruth Davis and Satpal Singh described efforts by global asbestos producers to evade their asbestos liabilities. An event held in Sheffield also highlighted the toll being paid by workers for decades of asbestos misuse. Jawad Qasawri, from Hazards Magazine, spoke of the role trade unions are playing in the global campaign to improve occupational safety and highlighted the effectiveness of Australian protests at the efforts of James Hardie Industries, Australia's leading asbestos producer, to dump their asbestos liabilities by relocating to the Netherlands.
The campaigning efforts of the International Federation of Building and Woodworkers (IFBWW) to achieve a global asbestos ban and raise awareness of asbestos hazards have been consistent and focused. At the Global Asbestos Congresses held in Brazil (2000) and in Japan (2004), IFBWW officials and delegates played a leading role in coordinating trade union response to the epidemic of occupational illness and death caused by asbestos. Lars Vedsmand, representing the IFBWW, made a presentation on asbestos at the 10th International Conference on Occupational Respiratory Diseases (ICORD) in Beijing in mid-April, 2005. Also at this event, Rob Johnston, of the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF), highlighted the role of trade unions' role in exposing occupational hazards, such as those caused by asbestos. Concluding his talk on Trade Union Prevention Strategies for the Control of Occupational Respiratory Hazards, Johnston said:
“In the case of asbestos however the risk is not only confined to the workplace as many proven cases exist demonstrating the threat posed to the general population from asbestos fibres. The only real preventive measure to limit exposure would be a global ban on the import, export, production and use of all asbestos products.”5
A proposal for a global ban on asbestos was adopted by the ICORD Congress. Towards the end of May, 2005, the IMF World Congress in Vienna will also be considering asbestos issues.
On May 16, the American Public Health Association will be calling for a global ban on the mining and use of asbestos at the General Assembly of the World Federation of Public Health Associations which will meet in Geneva. In June, A Call for an International Ban on Asbestos will be made by the Collegium Ramazzini, an independent society of physicians and academics which examines critical issues in occupational and environmental health. The fact that this is the second time in six years that this eminent body has highlighted this issue reinforces the strength of its feelings. The Collegium's statement which will appear in the June, 2005 issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine concludes:
“Because of economic and tehnicologic considerations, the safe use of asbestos is not practicable. With the proven availability of safer substances, there is no reason to tolerate the public health disaster arising from the production and use of asbestos. The total ban already introduced in a number of countries is spreading and should be extended worldwide. The Collegium Ramazzini calls for an immediate ban on all mining and use of asbestos. To be effective, the ban must be international in scope and must be enforced in every country in the world.”
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions is also making a global asbestos ban a priority issue; ICFTU spokesperson Lucien Royer says:
“In June, 2005, a Global Union campaign to ban asbestos will be kicked-off for the first time. At the annual conference of the ILO (International Labor Organization) in Switzerland, government, employers and trade union delegates will be made aware of the pressing need to act now on the devastating impact of asbestos in the world. The campaign will reach out to trade union bodies and a broad range of other groups throughout the world and (urge) them to engage in action with national governments to ban asbestos.”
May 12, 2005
_______
1 Another slogan used on April 28 was Prevention through Employer Accountability. According to the ICFTU, the majority of trade unions around the world referred to April 28th as commemoration day with others calling it memorial day.
2 O governo vacila, a sociedade avance by Andre Barrocal and Eliane Brum. época. May 2, 2005, page 50.
3 This button can be obtained from the OHCOW, Sarnia; email: jimbrophy@yahoo.com
4 On May 5, 2005 Rowen became the new MP for Rochdale.
5 A Special Report on Asbestos: The Deadly Asbestos Legacy which is featured in the current IMF publication: Metal World concludes that asbestos is: “the deadliest workplace hazard ever known… It is the duty of the IMF and the international trade union movement to bring this to an end” (http://www.imfmetal.org/main/index.cfm?n=103&l=2&c=11241&mwId=11239).
