GMB North West and Irish Region Connect Magazine February 2020 | Page 10

JOINT UNION ACTION SECURED JOBS AND A
FUTURE FOR HARLAND & WOLFF SHIPYARD
news
MONSANTO UNDER PRESSURE
AT HOME AND ABROAD
Local GM organisers are up in
arms about local authorities
continued use of a chemical
weed-killer which has been party
to court cases overseas resulting
in massive legal pay-outs.
Global agrochemicals giant
Monsanto has been ordered to
make another massive cancer
compensation payment in
the USA, while in France they
were accused of compiling a
potentially illegal dossier on its
opponents.
The jury ruled the company
had acted negligently, failing
to warn of the risks associated
with the product. Bayer denied
the allegations and says it will
appeal. It insists that Roundup is
safe to use.
“
PAYOUT
A jury in California
recently awarded
more than $2bn
(£1.5bn) to a couple
who said the
best-selling weed-
killer Roundup was
responsible for their
(Hodgkins-Lymphona)
cancer.
However Bayer now faces more than 13,400 US
lawsuits over Roundup’s alleged cancer risk.
Industrial action and a high profile campaign
has saved essential skilled jobs at the legendary birthplace of
the Titanic. Demands for politicians to get behind the joint union
action and campaigning which involved the community in East
Belfast and a blitz using social media paid off big time.
To make things worse for the
company the French newspaper
Le Monde this week revealed
government officials are
investigating a potentially illegal
file compiled by Monsanto on
critics of its chemicals and
genetically modified crops.
The document was prepared
for the company by PR agency
Fleishman Hillard, which in 2018
also “helped Monsanto Company
(now part of Bayer) develop
their 2017 Sustainability Report:
Growing Better Together.
A new buyer stepped in with the promise of running the iconic
shipyard as a going concern.
Senior organiser Denise Walker was virtually camped at the
gates for most of the nine weeks, she said: “So after nine weeks
on the gates the overalls are back on and the workers have
returned to paid employment.
“These workers led a courageous campaign to save their
shipyard and their actions have paid off. I am proud to have
stood with them and to have worked along Susan the UNITE
officer, I couldn’t have asked for a better comrade.”
It is the third time that the
German pharmaceutical
group Bayer, which now owns
Monsanto, has been ordered
to pay damages over the
glyphosate-based herbicide.
Denise witnessed the arrival of the first ship
back for repairs on the yard since the threat
of closure., she said: “I couldn’t be prouder
or happier to see the H&W workforce back
delivering quality service again.”
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” Bayer says it has now dropped
the global public relations firm.
Meanwhile councils in our
region are continuing to use
glyphosate in our parks and
cemeteries, which could put
our members and the public at
risk. Paul Richards GMB Branch
Secretary in Knowsley (K28) has
raised concerns at a number of
meetings with the council. He
said: “Given what is happening
around the world in relation to
this chemical, we are asking the
council are they doing enough
process.”
to ensure the safety of people
coming into contact with this
“I have written to the council
asking them to stop the use
of Roundup and find a safe
alternative which doesn’t contain
carcinogens. Unfortunately they
are employing agency workers
to do some of this work and it
is worrying. We have requested
a meeting with HR as soon as
possible. They need to take
health and safety and duty of
care as seriously as the GMB
do.”
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