The death of a construction worker at Scotland's Longannet power station has sparked the launch of a new campaign from Unite.

Employer Brown and Mason described the worker as a "valued member" of their team, but despite the company being registered with the B&CE (the not for profit organisation which provides benefits and pensions to the construction industry), the worker had not been registered by Brown and Mason for accident and life cover benefit.

Under the B&CE's accident and life cover scheme's standard rate if a member dies at work their family receives £80,000 and if they die while not at work the benefit is £40,000. The scheme which is paid for by the employer costs just £1.49 a week, less than three pence an hour for workers undertaking a typical 50 hour week.


Construction union Unite is introducing a campaign to ensure all workers in the industry are provided with death benefits

Unite national officer for construction Jerry Swain, said: "This was a terrible tragedy and our first thoughts must be with the victim's family.

"While no amount of money can ever compensate for losing a loved one, if workers are part of the B&CE scheme, it at least means that the family grieving the loss of a loved one, will have one less thing to worry about.

"It is essential that clients and major contractors take action to ensure that all workers are covered by the B&CE scheme regardless of who engages them or the employment status they are given.

"Deaths and serious injuries remain all too common in the construction industry, with nearly one worker a week losing their lives; this is a real problem, rather than a theoretical issue.

"The question of whether all workers on a site will be enrolled onto the B&CE scheme should be one of the first asked when clients are awarding contacts, companies that answer no should simply not be allowed to operate in construction.

"The failure to enrol workers onto the scheme is unacceptable to Unite and must become unacceptable to the industry in the same way that having the correct PPE (personal protective equipment) is."

(CM)