Forestry workers exploited
By Anne Pavy and Julie Green
PERTH — As part of the logging blockade in the old growth forests south west of here, environmental activists have been talking to residents and workers in the local community. They are attempting to counter the lies of the anti-blockade propaganda and address the local community's real fears.
Most of those employed in the south-west timber industry are paid wages that put them below the poverty line. Many are earning only a little more than they would receive on the dole. Workers with the major timber company, Bunnings, are provided with houses, which until earlier this year, had no heating. If these employees lose their job they also lose their house.
The workers are concerned about forest protection but, because they are afraid of losing their already low-paid jobs, they are taken in by the likes of Trish Townsend (Forest Protection Society) and Paul Omedei (Liberal MLA for the south-west seat of Warren).
Health and safety conditions are often appalling. For example, an alarmingly high number of workers are missing fingers and many more are working with damaged backs. Some payment systems work on bonuses which impel people to work faster and in dangerous conditions. Some companies self-insure, allowing the horror stories to go unreported.
There have been instances where workers have not reported serious industrial accidents, such as chopped fingers, so as not to miss out on their annual "safety award" — reportedly a token gift worth about $30.
Timber workers have little job security; they are often employed as casuals or on a contract.
These work conditions, plus the government and industry's propaganda, have fostered an image of environmentalists as outsiders with no understanding of local issues and who destroy other people's livelihoods.
To counter this, the blockaders have set up "listening posts", three in Pemberton and one in Manjimup. The aim is to talk to and involve local people. The response has been mixed, however, some residents have donated food and have volunteered to wash for the blockaders.