Faced with a still-unfolding summer from hell, in which catastrophic bushfires have caused 34 deaths, destroyed 11 million hectares of land and wiped out more than a billion animals, the federal Coalition government鈥檚 response has been nothing short of indifferent.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison continues to insist on Australia鈥檚 need to adapt to 鈥渢he climate risk we cannot reduce鈥. But his offer of $2 billion in disaster recovery aid stands in stark contrast to the , the main culprit of the climate crisis.
Moreover, Morrison鈥檚 business-as-usual approach is increasing risks for workers who are inadequately protected by the Fair Work Act when it comes to extreme weather conditions.
Many were caught off-guard by the smoke that engulfed Sydney for several weeks around the New Year period and eventually made its way to Melbourne and Canberra. The smoke, a direct result of the bushfires, posed a serious health and safety risk to workers, particularly those working outdoors.
With particulate matter PM10 levels reaching nearly 700 鈥 the equivalent of smoking more than a packet of cigarettes a day 鈥 Canberra officially became .
Despite the obvious health risk, many employers insisted on making employees work in dangerous conditions.
For example, or risk losing pay, while the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union McDonald鈥檚 for threatening to sack workers in bushfire-affected areas who did not attend shifts, even as their homes came under direct threat.
Prioritising profits over player welfare, , leading Slovenian player Dalila Jakupovi膰 to abandon her qualifying-round match due to a coughing fit.
Jakupovi膰 said the match should never have been played. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not healthy for us鈥, she said, but ultimately declared 鈥淚 guess we don鈥檛 have much choice鈥.
Victorian Trades Hall just transitions officer Colin Long told 麻豆传媒 there is a 鈥渓ack of clarity鈥 when it comes to workers鈥 entitlements during periods of extreme weather. This is particularly the case for vulnerable workers 鈥 young people, the elderly, women and people of colour 鈥 many of whom are unable to readily access the rights they may possess under the law.
Instead, workers have had to take matters into their own, such as when the Maritime Union of Australia called on dock workers in Sydney to walk off the job several times during the height of the city鈥檚 smoke haze.
Long said that legal ambiguities mean workers have no choice but to protect their health at the risk of potential repercussions, as these rights are not expressly laid out in the FWA.
鈥淭he hoops imposed by the FWA regulatory regime really hinders unions鈥 abilities to organise in the workplace,鈥 he said. Due to this 鈥渄ifficulty of organising 鈥 to protect members鈥 rights in the short term鈥, Long believes unions are burdened in their ability to advocate for better conditions.
Anti-union laws impose restrictions on right of entry and taking unilateral emergency action, thereby preventing unions from taking a 鈥渟tronger stance on climate change鈥, he added.
It is clear that unions鈥 ability to perform their most basic duties 鈥 guaranteeing members鈥 health and safety 鈥 is almost impossible under quickly-worsening conditions.
Recent developments in Victoria have seen Trades Hall implement its own , urging outside work to stop when air quality is deemed 鈥渧ery poor鈥 or worse. When conditions are 鈥減oor鈥, health and safety representatives are required to evaluate the situation and halt work if necessary.
Hospo Voice鈥檚 climate justice coordinator Audrey McCarthy sees this as a welcome development. She told GL: 鈥淲orkers must be emboldened to take action if they are being made to work in unsafe conditions,鈥 however she believes, 鈥渨e must go further鈥.
With scientists predicting more prolonged bushfire seasons due to drier, hotter summers, it is clear we need an industrial relations system that empower workers to defend themselves from extreme weather conditions.
As the climate movement fights for a rapid transition to 100% publicly-owned renewable energy, it must also demand measures to protect working people suffering the blunt of the climate crisis.
[Leo Crnogorcevic is a university student and a member of the Socialist Alliance]