Tim Vollmer
The community campaign is growing against James Hardie, a multinational company that has taken unethical and illegal corporate behaviour to new lows.
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has been at the forefront of the campaign against James Hardie, and actively supports the thousands of victims of James Hardie asbestos products.
We have lobbied local councils, companies and individuals to make the ethical choice and boycott James Hardie, until they back down and guarantee to pay every cent of compensation that victims deserve.
More than half of the councils in Sydney have now passed resolutions to join the boycott, and it is estimated that more than 1000 companies, small businesses and sub-contractors have also made the choice. But this is not enough.
Big business only understands one thing — the bottom line. That is why James Hardie produced asbestos products for 50 years after the dangers were first exposed. That is why James Hardie moved to the Netherlands to avoid paying future victims. And that is why the company is still looking for cheap options to save money and provide higher dividends to shareholders.
The bottom line is also the thing that victims understand, and the CFMEU has been eager to spread the message to help extend the community boycott. We are also encouraging individuals to pressure their local councils, state and federal governments and local companies that use James Hardie products, by requesting that they join the boycott too. Only if we successfully hit James Hardie's hip pocket will we see them move, and pay up what they owe.
We know they don't have a conscience — their actions have proved it. We also know they have no regard for laws or normal ethical practices. We know they have no regard for human life — they have shown that for 50 years. And we know they have no remorse for their actions — if they did, they would have paid up long ago.
So what can you do? How can you help to win justice for the estimated 45,000 Australians who will suffer from an asbestos-related diseases over the next 20 years, or the 10,000 who will die from asbestos in that same time? How can you fight for corporate ethics, and to stop multinational corporations from carrying out these kinds of actions in the future?
There are three simple steps:
1. Join the boycott. Don't buy James Hardie products, and tell your friends to do the same. You can contact the CFMEU for a range of alternate products.
2. Lobby your local council to join the ban — they can contact the CFMEU if they want to receive copies of the motions passed by other councils. Also write to state and federal politicians demanding they place a ban on James Hardie products, and do everything in their power to obtain justice for victims.
3) Be aware of asbestos. Many future victims will be exposed to deadly asbestos fibres in their own homes. There are already terminally ill victims who were exposed 30 years ago as children to tiny amounts of asbestos in the home. You can never be too careful, especially when you are dealing with a toxic substance that has killed thousands, and will kill thousands more.
The CFMEU is asking all readers of Green Left Weekly to follow these three simple steps to help the victims of asbestos to get full and fair compensation; to help prevent future victims; and to help stop the disgusting corporate behaviour of big businesses like James Hardie, who knowingly produced and sold products that they knew killed people, all for the sake of bigger profits.
We need your help, because we can only win if all Australians work together to demand honesty from big business and justice for the thousands of future victims, some of whom you may know.
[Tim Vollmer is the media officer for the construction and general division of the NSW branch of the CFMEU. Phone (02) 9749 0400 or email <tvollmer@nsw.cfmeu.asn.au>.]
From Green Left Weekly, October 13, 2004.
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