"We all rushed out to see a young woman lying on the ground" Reports RICK BURTON. -
I visited a non-unionised company recently and experienced a bit more drama than I had anticipated.
Transpacific Industries have added to their acquisition of Cleanaway by buying out Maddington refuse and recycling firm Rhodes and Robinson. The takeover put Rhodes & Robinson on our radar for the first time and I went out there to talk to the troops about their pay & conditions.

But while I was there chatting to people I noticed the light on top of a front end loader wasn't flashing while in operation. This is illegal and I made my concerns clear to the workers and went off to talk to the yard manager.
I had hardly opened my mouth to talk to the boss when the office door was flung open by one of the workers who blurted out that there had been an accident.

We all rushed out to see a young women lying on the ground in a semi-conscious state.
She had climbed up onto the step of the machine and was pulling the door which was jammed stuck from a previous incident. The door suddenly came open knocking her to the ground. The women had a lump on the side of her head as big as a Granny Smith apple.

Luckily I have a Senior First Aid Certificate and knew it was important place to the injured worker in the coma position.
By this time she was coming around. I told her not to move and asked the boss to call an ambulance which eventually arrived after a long wait.
After a short stay in hospital for observation she was released - a bit sore and sorry - but OK.

Now, it is unlikely that this sort of situation would have occurred in a unionised workplace such as Cleanaway.
Our members know that if a vehicle or equipment is mechanically defected it must be reported and put out of action until it is fixed and safe to operate.

In this case the machine had two clear defects that I know of - the faulty door and the flashing light that wasn't working. Two obvious safety hazards!
And while at the depot I uncovered several other matters of concern. Several labour hire casuals were being paid just $19 per hour - inclusive of the 25% casual loading. Well under the going rate.

Ironically, the reaction I got from the employees was pretty apathetic. No one seemed that interested in joining the union.
Nothing unusual there, we often get that sort of reaction in the first instance. However, after our second and third visits people begin to see the many advantages of being in the TWU and come on board. We also tell them about all their entitlements. Not just pay and conditions but also their right to refuse to operate unsafe equipment.