Northampton Trades Union Council
Health and Safety
Remember the Dead: Fight for the Living
Here is the text of a letter from NTUC Secretary, Sarah Ansell, published in the Chronicle and Echo on May 12th 2008
In Respect of
Workers' Memorial Day
April 28th 2008
Quiz Night
Friday 20th June at The Cripps Recreation Centre, NGH
Defending Services in Northampton
NUT Workload Campagin
NEWS: UCU Fight Redundancies at University of Northampton
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Dear Editor,
Last week I was very privileged to attend an event to commemorate Workers’ Memorial Day, organised by the union Unite. On this day we remember workers who have been killed doing their jobs; up to 1700 this year. World wide over two million are killed, which is more than die through war or AIDS.
Around 50,000 also die from work related diseases, of which about 5000 are from asbestos. These people are not remembered in the same way.
The purpose behind Workers’ Memorial Day has always been to ‘remember the dead: fight for the living’. In the trade unions we are fighting to improve health and safety at work. Traditionally penalties for employers who break health and safety guidelines, leading to death, injury and illness, have been laughably low. The government has now introduced the Corporate Manslaughter Act, but a conviction can only be brought against a company, not an individual and unions fear employers will still be able to avoid their responsibilities.
Worse still, government has continued to cut the number of Health and Safety Inspectors and their budget. In 2007 the Health and Safety Executive only secured 12 convictions for breaches to H&S law. Compare this with 980 convictions secured by the RSPCA in 2005. The average firm only gets an inspection once every 14.5 years. Perhaps our MPs would like to commit themselves to working to reverse these cuts and expanding the HSE.
Those in union organised workplaces are safer and are more likely to have active H&S representatives. Many readers will be suffering from health problems caused by their work, or be working in dangerous conditions. Examples might include: pain caused by poor seating at a checkout or in an office or by lifting; inadequate guards round machinery; stress from bullying or long hours; poor heating or ventilation; lack of proper safety procedures or equipment, or not having proper training on machinery - a major concern of many H&S reps. If you think you have H&S problems at work which need resolving, talk to your union representative or alternatively contact Trades Council via our website (ntuc.org.uk) or phone 01604 709757.
Poor health and safety at your workplace can make your life a misery or even cause illness, injury or loss of life. Don’t wait until it is too late.
Sarah Ansell Secretary Northampton Trade Union Council
Balloons, released outside the local branch of the Transport and General Workers Union to mark Workers' Memorial Day.
The letter on the left is based on the text of the speech delivered by Craig Plowman, Vice President of NTUC.
To get the full speech, click here.
Read more on TUC and Health & Safety
Contact Northampton Trades Council
President: Ron Mendel (UCU)
70 Church Way
Weston Favell Village
Norhampton
NN3 3BX
01604 414653
president@ntuc.org.uk
Secretary: Sarah Ansell
11 Bourton Close
Northampton
NN4 9YT
01604 709757
secretary@ntuc.org.uk
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