By KATRINA BRANDON
FLURO colours shone bright in the Morwell Rose Garden last Wednesday (April 29).
It wasn’t the flowers but the sight of unionists, workers and their families coming together to remember workers who had suffered for their craft.
The group got together for International Workers’ Day, which is on May 1, honouring the labour movement, workers’ achievements, and the fight for fair working conditions, particularly the eight-hour day.
Organised by the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council (GTLC), the memorial at the Morwell Rose Garden drew about 20 people.
GTLC secretary Steve Dodd opened the event, recognising the transition from coal-fired power stations to future employment opportunities in Latrobe Valley.
“Today is about the deaths and injuries that we have had in our industries,” Mr Dodd said.
“In the power industry and paper industry, we have lost members right across the region, and now that we are going into what is called ‘transition’, that is code for power station shutdown.
“(With) the next jobs, we are going to keep an eye out for health and safety because the last thing we want is people being killed on the job or being injured on the job. As a union organiser, I have seen my fair share of it, and I don’t want to see any more of it.”
Former Latrobe City councillor, Tracie Lund, also spoke.
Ms Lund’s late husband, Simon, died from oesophageal cancer this month a year ago. His illness was attributed to the occupational exposure from his lifetime of work with the CFA.
“Today is about remembering them (workers),” Ms Lund said.
“Not just about how they died, but how they lived, the contribution they made, the people they were and the lives that they touched.
“Behind every loss is a person. Someone who showed up, worked hard, looked out for others, and simply expected to come home.”
Ms Lund, who stood down from council duties last March, has continued fighting for
changes to state law since her husband’s death.
“We were told Simon had the right cancer, but the wrong title,” she said.
“Under Victoria’s presumptive legislation, laws meant to protect firefighters from occupational cancers, Simon wasn’t covered.
“Not because of the work that he did, not because of the risks he faced, but because of what his job title said.”
Simon’s official title fell under ‘ IT and technical services’, meaning his Work Cover claim was excluded from presumptive rights.
Ms Lund said unfortunately, this was a reality many families face.
Recognising others who had fallen, Mr Dodd mentioned former union heavyweight John Parker, who died of motor neuron disease.
Before commencing the service, Mr Dodd invited attendees to lay a wreath in memory of workers who didn’t make it home, to acknowledge the impact on their families and communities of those losses, and to renew the commitment to safe and fair workplaces for all.
