Many of our members work in particularly stressful and dangerous work environments. Effective health and safety provisions are therefore a major preoccupation of the USGE.

New members may not appreciate just how far we've come in the battle for healthy and safe workplaces. As incredible as it may now seem, workplace safety and health matters were determined by arbitrary employer policies until the mid-1980s. There were no mechanisms to ensure that those policies were enforced.

Your collective agreement and the Law

Only in 1986, after a major three-year PSAC campaign actively backed by the USGE, were federal public service workers includd under the Canada Labour Code's health and safety provisions. This critical legislation also provided for joint union-management safety and health committees in all workplaces where 20 or more people are employed, or for a union-appointed health and safety representative where five to 20 people are employed.

In addition to Canada Labour Code protections, the PSAC has negotiated health and safey clauses in collective agreements. The Occupational Health and Safety Committee of the National Joint Council also reviews and makes recommendation on present and proposed public service policies and standards on occupational health and safety and other directly-related subjects.

Another major advance in health and safety came in 1988, when the federal government adopted the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). This system categorized, labeled and documented harmful and hazardous materials — many commonly found in federal government workplaces.

Workplace Health and Safety Committees

The National Joint Occupational Health and Safety COmmittee (NJOSH) is the cornerstone of our efforts to ensure the employer follows both the letter and the spirit of federal health and safety laws. NJOSH, with representation from both the USGE and the employer, meets regularly to deal with a wide range of health and safety issues.

NJOSH allows for a frank exchange of views on existing and emerging issues. Topics for consideration can range from the activities of local health and safety committees, to the identification of potentially hazardous materials, to specific problems encountered in one particular work site.

The key to effective union representation on health and safety matters is an informed local leadership. The USGE assists Locals in developing workplace Health and Safety Committees — a provision of the Canada Labour Code that is essential to ensuring the rights and protection of all our members are honoured. Our National Office provides active support to these Committees.

Technical Support from the PSAC

The PSAC has an entire unit of technical experts with in-depth knowledge of health and safety laws and regulations that apply to USGE members. These specialists have literally decades of experience with the issues and challenges that face federal public service workers.

The PSAC also holds regular regional Health and Safety Conferences, providing local USGE members with the opportunity to keep up with latest research and develpments. As well, the USGE and PSAC's membership in the Canadian Labour Congress — with its more than two million members — allows us to tap into the CLC's health and safety expertise.