The Resolution of the Working Meeting of International Trade Union "For Chrysotile"
27th of April 2013. Geneva, Switzerland.
We-representatives of International Trade Union Movement For Chrysotile gathered here, in the heart of Europe and anti-asbestos lobby in Geneva, Switzerland in order to speak our voice to defend rights of millions of workers of the world chrysotile industry and members of their families from Russia, Brasil, Canada, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia.
The delegates of the meeting unanimously agreed with the following:
During last years transnational corporations — manufacturers of alternative chrysotile materials and products, legal companies specializing in asbestos litigation, companies engaged in asbestos removal from buildings, are pursuing intensive and unprecedented aggressive anti-chrysotile campaign. The European Union, a number of the international public and non governmental organizations, are pursueing economic and political interests, are putting pressure on the countries, using chrysotile containing products, forcing them to ban chrysotile.
The initiators and followers of anti-chrysotile campaign do not consider the existing science about safe and controllable use of chrysotile, ignore needs of millions people, using cheap and durable chrysotile-contained building materials and inducing developed countries to use expensive alternative materials whose influence on man’s health and environment is little studied.
The results of researches of the biggest medical centres of science confirm an opportunity of safe use of chrysotile-asbestos under controllable conditions, i.e. with observance of widely known rules of safety on manufacture, including those, stated in the ILO Convention № 162 «Safety in the use of asbestos».
The participants of meeting, on the basis of modern scientific and fact sheet, more than century-old experience of using chrysotile-asbestos, consider:
The scientific data testify to an opportunity of using chrysotile without increased risk for health of the workers and general population, about groundlessness of the decisions on its ban, declared by anti-asbestos organizations. The ban of use of all kinds of asbestos, including chrysotile in a number of the countries of the world is based on negative consequences of large volumes of amphibole-asbestos group application under uncontrollable conditions, including usage of such technologies in construction, as spraying for flame-retardant metal constructions etc.
The most professional and appropriate modern scientific approach is the resolution adopted in 2007 by 60-th session of the World Health Assembly of WHO about differentiated approach to regulating different types of asbestos: amphiboles and chrysotile (item 10 of the Global plan of actions on protection of workers’ health for 2008-2017 years. WHA-60.26).
The basic methods of preventive maintenance of asbestos-related diseases are determined by the ILO Convention № 162 «Safety in the use of asbestos», which basic principle is controllable use of chrysotile.
The precisely developed working system and the principles of diagnostics, primary medical preventive maintenance and medical rehabilitation provide long preservation of health and work capacity of chrysotile workers. It is regulated at a level of the state laws, decisions of governments, sanitary rules etc.
We, participants of the meeting, speak in support of:
— Unbiased study of chrysotile issue on the basis of the new scientific data and modern practice.
— Continuation of chrysotile use in a safe and responsible manner .
We, participants of the meeting, call for
— ILO, WHO, international trade-union organizations such as BWI and ITUC to carry out meetings with participation not only opponents of chrysotile use (as it occurs today), but also supporters of controllable use of chrysotile, representatives of the industry and its labour unions.
— To develop and introduce the Programs of elimination of asbestos-related diseases in view of chrysotile safe use.