MUA wins victory for workers – Cars arriving in Australia will be screened for radiation
Ports of Australia and AMSA support the union's push for radiation testing The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) will this week screen cars arriving in Port Kembla from Japan.This batch test for radiation follows months of campaigning by the MUA to ensure Japanese cargo and cars were screened for radiation upon arrival in Australia."This is a win for workers, and also a win for the Australian public," said Assistant National Secretary Warren Smith."Any risk of radiation is too big a risk to take. Workers and consumers come into direct contact with these cars - the Government watchdog must ensure there is no health and safety risk."The Australian public has a right to know if there is a radiation threat."In early May, cars arriving in Chile from Japan were found to be contaminated with radiation. Despite this, ARPANSA refused to commit to scanning cargo until today, after long-running talks with Maritime Union officials."We know from the tragedy in Japan that people are feeling the effects of radiation hundreds of kilometers away from the destroyed nuclear plant. We can't take the risk of contaminating workers," said Mr Smith."All we have been asking is for cargo to be tested before ...
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