UK
Ireland
Scotland
London
Construction News
18/09/2009
Justice For Pleural Plaques Victims Sought
.gif)
The campaign to restore compensation for pleural plaques victims has received two major boosts in the past week.
On Wednesday the TUC Congress unanimously supported an emergency motion moved by construction union UCATT, which called on the Government to overturn the Law Lords ban on compensation for pleural plaques victims.
The motion demonstrates just how strong the feeling is throughout the labour movement, that the ban imposed on plaques sufferers is entirely unfounded and will put further pressure on the Government to reverse the decision.
Moving the motion John Thompson, President of UCATT, said: "Recently a Government official told us that this was not an issue that the man in the street was concerned about. Well he needs to walk the same streets as our members. It may not be an issue on Hampstead High Street. But in Barrow, South Shields, Plymouth, and in other asbestos blighted towns it is a crucial test of the morality of this Government."
Following his speech to TUC on Tuesday Gordon Brown the Prime Minister, held a question and answer session and was asked by a UCATT delegate if he would commit the Government to return compensation for pleural plaques victims.
Mr Brown, said the Government would “look what we can do on pleural plaques” and announced that there would be a statement on pleural plaques and other asbestos issues after Parliament returns from the summer recess.
In order to further build support for the campaign, unions involved in the issue have engaged the services of a leading new media company.
The company has produced a DVD and online video which features pleural plaques sufferers and their families describing what effect the condition has had on their quality of life.
Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "It is essential that we use all forms of communication and campaigning techniques to illustrate the devastating effect pleural plaques can have on the quality of victims lives. The Government must understand that if they want to be seen as the champions of social justice then they must restore full compensation and identify which insurers and which companies were liable for their injuries."
(CD/BMcC)
On Wednesday the TUC Congress unanimously supported an emergency motion moved by construction union UCATT, which called on the Government to overturn the Law Lords ban on compensation for pleural plaques victims.
The motion demonstrates just how strong the feeling is throughout the labour movement, that the ban imposed on plaques sufferers is entirely unfounded and will put further pressure on the Government to reverse the decision.
Moving the motion John Thompson, President of UCATT, said: "Recently a Government official told us that this was not an issue that the man in the street was concerned about. Well he needs to walk the same streets as our members. It may not be an issue on Hampstead High Street. But in Barrow, South Shields, Plymouth, and in other asbestos blighted towns it is a crucial test of the morality of this Government."
-- Advertisement --
Following his speech to TUC on Tuesday Gordon Brown the Prime Minister, held a question and answer session and was asked by a UCATT delegate if he would commit the Government to return compensation for pleural plaques victims.
Mr Brown, said the Government would “look what we can do on pleural plaques” and announced that there would be a statement on pleural plaques and other asbestos issues after Parliament returns from the summer recess.
In order to further build support for the campaign, unions involved in the issue have engaged the services of a leading new media company.
The company has produced a DVD and online video which features pleural plaques sufferers and their families describing what effect the condition has had on their quality of life.
Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "It is essential that we use all forms of communication and campaigning techniques to illustrate the devastating effect pleural plaques can have on the quality of victims lives. The Government must understand that if they want to be seen as the champions of social justice then they must restore full compensation and identify which insurers and which companies were liable for their injuries."
(CD/BMcC)
Latest Construction News
17/01/2025
Leeds Trinity University has officially opened its newly refurbished City Campus at 1 Trevelyan Square in Leeds.
Completed by GRAHAM Interior Fit-Out, the transformation of the central Leeds site introduces state-of-the-art facilities designed to improve learning and collaborate with industry partn
17/01/2025
Trammell Crow Company (TCC) has secured planning permission for a Grade A logistics scheme in Heywood, Greater Manchester, following a successful planning appeal.
The development will feature two state-of-the-art industrial and logistics buildings. One building will house two units measuring 4,796
17/01/2025
Poole-based developer AJC Group has celebrated a record-breaking 2024, delivering 100 affordable homes, a significant increase from the 72 units completed in the previous year.
Since 2023, AJC Group has completed and handed over 172 affordable homes across five sites.
In 2024 alone, the developer
17/01/2025
Plans for one of the most ambitious parks projects in London have taken a significant step forward, with Haringey Council securing nearly two additional acres of land around The Paddock nature reserve in Tottenham Hale.
The agreement with Thames Water marks a major milestone in the transformation o
17/01/2025
Islington Council has unveiled two draft guidance documents aimed at helping residents, businesses, and developers combat climate change by making buildings more energy efficient and fostering a greener, healthier borough.
The consultation seeks feedback on the draft Climate Action Supplementary Pl
17/01/2025
The City of Wolverhampton Council has unveiled a £98 million investment plan over the next five years to develop around 500 new homes across the city.
The proposal, part of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan, received Cabinet approval this week and now moves to Full Council for final
17/01/2025
Croydon Council has announced a significant milestone in the redevelopment of the Purley Pool site, with revised proposals submitted for a new leisure centre, later living housing, and the regeneration of the surrounding area.
A planning application for the site was initially submitted in 2024, pro
17/01/2025
The City of Wolverhampton Council has announced that demolition work has commenced on the New Park Village estate, marking the start of a major £40 million redevelopment project to transform outdated council housing.
Contractor DSM Demolition has begun pulling down poor-quality bungalows on Valley
17/01/2025
Hillingdon Council has acquired 12 new homes at Carpenters Court in Uxbridge.
Leader of Hillingdon Council, Cllr Ian Edwards and Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, visited the site to officially mark the handover of the properties from local developer Kearns Devel
17/01/2025
Organisers of UK Construction Week (UKCW) have announced another major coup for the show's 10th anniversary year, with the news that UKCW London will be co-locating with the 14th edition of The Stone Show & Hard Surfaces, the principal industry event for surface design.
Established 26 years ago, th
