The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) held the “Regional Seminar on Labour Health in the Building Industry of Latin America and the Caribbean” in the ARGENTINE BUILDING WORKERS UNION headquarters from August 19 to 21 in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
BWI affiliated for Latin America and the Caribbean; Ms. Fiona Murie, Health and Safety coordinator of the International Woodworkers and Building Workers Federation; Mr. Carlos Salguero, Regional Representative for Panama and Mr. Freddy Jara; Mr. Victor Brandan, Foreign Affairs Secretary of UOCRA and Mr. Gerardo Martinez UOCRA General Secretary and Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Republic of Argentina CGT took part in the event.

Mr. Gerardo Martinez highlighted in his speech the need to strengthen trade unions’ action by means of modern, active, democratic and highly representative trade unions in order to foster actions for the purpose of achieving a decent job, within the framework of the present crisis and seek those objectives through social dialogue. He also demanded BWI joint work, to tackle socio-labour inequalities in Latin America.

This meeting is carried out within the framework of the Global Labour Health Project in cooperation with LO/TCO representatives [Unions within the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO)] [Unions within the Central Organization of Salaried Employees in Sweden (TCO)], in the presence of several trade unions, in order to assess and offer new training actions related to Labour Health, prevention of hazards and risks in the workplace, 28th  April campaigns and the prohibition of the use of asbestos.
This Seminar is also intended to reinforce some topics developed in previous sessions, such as the training for trainers, leadership and social dialogue as tools to achieve the training of safety promoters.
The Global economic crisis started in the middle of 2008 seriously impacted on all productive sectors of our country, especially on the building and wood industry, and brought about downsizing. Our challenge is to train the responsible for labour health from the affiliated organizations so as to raise effective awareness in the social dialogue tables with other actors, employers and government.