Health & Safety Reps discuss Asbestos; Employment protection for terminally ill workers; the Trade Union Bill and more …

More than 60 Health and Safety reps attended the Forum event held on Tuesday 9^th February at Gateshead Civic Centre. The event was organised to coincide with heartunions – a week of action celebrating the great work done by union reps and members in our workplaces and in society. Reps were also able to take part in The Big Workplace Meeting live broadcast joining Frances O’Grady and comedian Eddie Izzard.

Following the broadcast, Chair of the Health & Safety Forum, Edwin Jeffries welcomed attendees and introduced the speakers. First up was Hugh Robertson, TUC Senior Health & Safety Officer.

Hugh spoke about the Trade Union Bill and the impacts for health and safety. The TU Bill will undermine the ability of unions to protect workers and challenge management or campaign. It will allow government to restrict time off for health and safety representatives in the “public sector” – effectively wants unions to restrict their own safety reps!; restrict the right to strike including restrictions on picketing and there must be 50% turnout in any ballot on industrial action – yet refuse to make balloting easier; change ability of unions to collect and use political funds; allow agency workers to be used during strikes – a practice which has been banned since 1973, and in most European countries. Untrained and unskilled workers are a serious risk to the safety of workers and the public.

Other attacks not requiring legislative change include reduction in check-off in the public sector – despite Local Authorities and NHS employers wanting to retain it.

In summary, the aspects that will influence health and safety are:

• Restrictions on facility time
• Restrictions on right to strike/picketing
• Agency workers
• Check-off

The Bill is not a foregone conclusion and we must continue campaigning against it; building workplace organisation and inform and involve our members.  Even if the Bill becomes law, unions are not going away – we will be needed more than ever.  The TUC H&S Organising campaign starts next month, details will be out soon.

Hugh then touched on the newly launched HSE Strategy ‘Helping Great Britain Work Well’. The six themes are: Acting together; Tackling ill health; Managing risk well; Supporting small employers; Keeping pace with change and Sharing our success. Check the HSE website for more details http://www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/.  The TUC recognises the value of the HSE and is working with them on a pilot within the education sector.

The Chair then welcomed Julie Winn Chair of the Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC).  Julie spoke about why asbestos in schools is such a concern. According to current figures, 86% of schools in England contain asbestos. Teacher deaths are increasing – we know how many teachers are dying because deaths are recorded against occupation, but that’s not the case for, say, school secretaries or school cleaners.  And children exposed to asbestos are more at risk of developing mesothelioma because of their greater life expectancy.

JUAC was set up in 2010 and the Committee includes representation from the NUT, NASUWT, ATL, NAHT, GMB, UNISON, UNITE and UCATT among others. With the establishment and continuation of DfE Asbestos in Schools Steering Group (on which unions are represented) we were able to push forward the DfE review of Asbestos Policy for Schools. The report was finally published in March 2015. Inevitably the report was disappointing: no strategic vision, no-long term removal strategy – but there was recognition that asbestos in schools is an issue, together with some positive proposals and revised DfE guidance to which unions had an input.

Clearly asbestos is not just a problem in schools. If we are to protect future generations from the risk of exposure to this deadly fibre, we need a new law on asbestos with a clear timetable for the eradication of asbestos in every single workplace in Britain.

The TUC is calling for new legislation requiring all employers to address the issue by doing a full survey of all asbestos in the workplace by no later than 2022, and then ensuring the removal of all asbestos by 2035. In the case of public buildings and educational establishments, this should be done by 2028.

Our final contribution came from Richard Oliver, GMB who spoke about the ‘Dying to Work’ campaign: Employment protection for terminally ill workers. First delegates were able to watch a video of Jacci, and hear her experience of coping with a terminal illness while continuing to work.

As retirement ages are increasing and Cancer Research UK are projecting that 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer, more people will be receiving a terminal diagnosis during their working life. The ‘Dying to Work’ campaign is calling for terminal conditions to be made a ‘protected characteristic’ like maternity rights. This would mean that all employees battling terminal conditions would enter a protected period within which they could not be dismissed as a result of their condition.  Furthermore, it would ensure that they would be secure in the knowledge that their family would be provided for after death.

In a poll commissioned by the GMB over half of all people interviewed believe that protection already exists in law to prevent an employee being dismissed after receiving a terminal diagnosis.

A number of unions support the campaign as do a number of third sector organisations. To find out more go to www.dyingtowork.co.uk   

Health & Safety reps then took part in an open forum discussion facilitated by Peter Walker. A chance to put forward ideas and suggestions for future Forum events and share knowledge and experience of health and safety issues in the workplace.

Copies of the speakers' presentations are attached.