Unite: Show Chilean PM safety at work matters to UK
18 October 2010
With the visit to the UK this week of the
Chilean prime minister, Sebastian Pinera, Unite is calling on the
Coalition government not to back slide on essential health and
safety at work measures.
The call follows the publication last week of
Lord Young’s review into health and safety, which astonishingly
said Unite, does not contain a single proposal to reduce workplace
deaths, injuries and illness.
Over 20,000 people per year die prematurely in
the UK as a result of work-related accidents and illnesses with
millions more suffering ill-health because of their jobs. Unite
fears that cuts in spending planned by the Coalition government,
along with the missed opportunity to improve safety culture with
the Young report, could undermine essential protections
further.
Unite health and safety officer, Rob Miguel,
said: "The visit this week by the Chilean prime minister is a stark
reminder of the importance of safety at work.
"It is galling then that only hours after the 33
were freed, Lord Young takes on his role as warm up act for the
health and safety cutters in this country.
"Lord Young appears to have no awareness of the
problems of occupational disease, and seems to have ignored all the
evidence received from experts and unions.
"Everyone has the right to work in a healthy,
safe environment. Sadly, this report is a missed opportunity to
improve safety at work but we certainly cannot let it usher in an
era of even poorer standards."
ENDS
For further information contact Rob Miguel on
07900 804911 or Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite Press Office on 020
7420 8914 or 07980 224761.
