Labour to be told to make bosses accountable
Labour to be told to make bosses accountable
Trade unions are to make a last-ditch attempt to persuade ministers to strengthen corporate killing laws so that negligent employers can be jailed. A 20 September Financial Times article says the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) has tabled a motion for next week's Labour party conference demanding changes to the corporate manslaughter bill going through parliament. The government says the bill, published in July, will make it easier to prosecute companies for fatal accidents (Risks 266). Companies found guilty would face unlimited fines but individual directors could not be jailed or be subject to personal fines (Risks 267). The article says the TGWU motion, which says directors should be prosecuted if they have been a 'secondary party to a gross management failure causing death', is likely to be backed by the other big unions affiliated to Labour but opposed by the party leadership, It calls for a maximum prison term of 14 years, making the offence analogous to causing death by dangerous driving.
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