It is a fundamental right of every worker to go to work in the morning and go home safely at the end of the day!

The CFMEU, and its predecessor unions, have campaigned for these rights for over 150 years!  Improvements in safety have been won through struggle – from the introduction of safety laws in 1902, through to specific hazard preventions like scaffolding, materials and personnel hoists, workplace amenities and crib rooms, personal protective equipment, to bans on asbestos and the struggles for decent workers’ compensation payments for injury.

There are those who argue that unions do not have any role to play in workplace safety; that all control should be handed over to employers and governments. That has never been the union’s view and will not be in the future.

Through workers on the job, through support for workers organising, and through the provision of information and knowledge, the CFMEU will continue to make a vital contribution to safety on construction sites across Australia.