BUILDING AND WOOD WORKERS INTERNATIONAL (BWI)
GENEVA, Switzerland, 22 March 2006: Peru bans asbestos as a result of a long campaign. In 2003, the BWI and the Peruvian construction union, FTCCP, organised a three day tripartite Construction Health and Safety conference in Lima. There was a particular focus on the dangers of asbestos and the need to stop putting more asbestos containing materials into the built environment. It was agreed at this meeting that the construction industry could and should phase out the use of asbestos as soon as possible.
Over the past five years, the FTCCP have organised meetings and training courses for activists, members and ordinary construction workers the length and breadth of the country, giving reliable health and safety information and mobilising for a ban and to ensure proper protection measure for workers who may be exposed to asbestos already existing in buildings.
Now the union, in coalition with victims of asbestos, with health and safety professionals, sympathetic parliamentarians, government officials and academics have achieved their goal. They can be proud of their contribution to saving countless lives in the future.
Despite attempts by the Canadian asbestos lobby to prevent this ban in Peru, (as they tried and failed in Chile, Argentina and elsewhere) the campaigners built such solid and widespread public support that they were unstoppable.
On the 26th September 2005 in the Official Bulletin of Peru "El Peruano" the Ministry of Health published the Ministerial resolution No. 717 2005/MINSA.
This announced a Supreme Decree regulating "The prohibition of the use of asbestos of all types and regulates asbestos removal operations.
The text is available on the website of the Andean Labour Institute.
