[IER] Harvard study shows unions prevent workplace deaths

Fri Jun 22 18:18:23 BST 2018

IER News Brief 22/06/18

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Friday 22nd June 2018

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Research from Harvard University <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=6a3a894455&e=71131c031b>  has shown that trade union activity has a significant positive impact on the prevention of workplace mortality.

The study found that deaths rose by 14.2% in US workplaces after trade union membership declined following the introduction of anti-union "right to work" legislation.

Further, while there has been an overall decline in workplace fatalities in the US recently, this decrease was steeper in areas of high unionisation, while those not protected by unions remained more likely to lose their lives at work.

Study author, Michael Zoorob, said his paper "demonstrates that the protective effect of unions on workplace safety at the micro level translates into large scale reductions in occupational fatalities" and that these results could have international import.

"In light of these findings, policymakers in the USA and other countries might consider how declining unionisation rates may impact worker safety," he said.

Indeed, the Institute of Employment Rights has long argued that encouraging trade union activity makes workplaces safer. In our Manifesto for Labour Law <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=2e9f226e76&e=71131c031b> , we recommend that trade union health and safety officers are given powers to inspect workplaces, issue provisional improvement notices, and stop work that is imminently dangerous.

Further, we propose reinstating sectoral collective bargaining and establishing a Ministry of Labour with a Cabinet Seat. These acts would give workers a voice in both Westminster and the workplace, redressing the imbalance of power between workers and employers and thus providing for a culture in which individuals feel adequately protected to speak out about hazardous conditions.

Reforms should also include reversing the Trade Union Act 2016 and improving union recognition and access rights to the workplace, as well as making blacklisting a criminal offence following the conspiracy to block thousands of workers from employment after they spoke out about health and safety risks. 

Click here to read more about the Manifesto for Labour Law <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=8dbdda11f4&e=71131c031b> 

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