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Water means a lot more than just an industry in which many ASU members work. Water is fundamental to human existence, development and growth. Sadly, not all people have equal access to supplies of clean and safe water essential for drinking, as well as adequate supplies for agriculture, industry and other vital components of economic life.
World Water Day has been observed each year since 1992 as an initiative that grew out of the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janerio. The purpose of World Water Day is to draw attention to water needs, supply and usage throughout the developing and the developed worlds.
We also need to remember that there are workers behind the water service making sure water reaches our communities and that these workers perform a critical service to our community.
All too often governments exploit these workers through lack of respect for their rights, or attempt to rollback their standards of living. The current push by the Howard government for their new IR agenda is an example of this. Workers in the water industry have a range of concerns from contracting out of services, to a healthy and safe work place.
World Water Day gives us the opportunity to highlight the need for safe and secure water plus a safe and secure workplace for industry workers. That's why on World Water Day the ASU is pleased to launch a water industry Charter that allows communities, organisations, governments and individuals to sign on saying they have respect for water, for our society and those that work in the industry.
ASU Water Charter
Charters now exist internationally to protect communities and allow access to water along with charters that cover workers rights, both of these are covered by the United Nations. The ASU national water industry division council has now drafted a charter that calls upon those that sign the charter to respect both the communities and water industry workers rights.
As part of its 2006, World Water Day activities, the ASU has developed a Water Charter which we are calling on members, organisations and Governments to adopt as the cornerstone of water policy in this country.
Click here to read the Water Charter and support the ASU by endorsing the Charter. Members and organisations who wish to be identified as supporters of the ASU Water Charter can do so by emailing the ASU - details are at the bottom of the Charter.
Why sign the Charter?
Although Australia is the driest continent on earth, it is lucky to have harnessed the available water resources and has delivered users across the country supplies of high quality and safe drinking water and water resources to farmers, industry and other users.
Water has been delivered to consumers as a public service by publicly owned instrumentalities which have the needs of people, not profit, as their driving motivation. ASU members are proud to be part of supplying this essential resource to Australians.
However, the provision of water is constantly under threat, both here and overseas, from privatisation or the part privatisation of water supply through public/private partnerships. This threatens not only decent jobs in the industry but also the provision of water services that meet the needs of people not company profits.
Follow these links to see what international public sector unions and international agencies are doing as part of World Water Day:
ASU Assistant National Secretary Greg McLean is the National Officer responsible for the ASU's involvement in the World Water Day 2006 campaign. For further information, please contact Greg.
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