The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has called for urgent action to prevent workplace deaths.
This comes after the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) released the report for notified fatalities from July 2006 to June 2007 earlier in January.
The report showed 162 workplace fatalities, up from 157 the previous year. The ACTU said the rise in workplace deaths is unacceptable.
The ACTU placed the responsibility for the rise in fatalities on WorkChoices, and the limits placed on unions’ entry rights into workplaces.
The ACTU also claimed the industrial relations laws gave employers the power to get rid of occupational health and safety representatives and to dismiss workers who protested.
It urged the government to take action, and develop a national industrial relations system.

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