Health and Safety

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Conference
2003 National Delegate Conference
Date
25 February 2003
Decision
Carried as Amended

Conference condemns the UK Government for not having met a number of commitments made in respect of health and safety legislation and demands action now.

Having consulted broadly in 1999, and before, on what actions would secure safer and healthier workplaces, the Government’s Revitalising Health and Safety initiative has derailed and needs revitalising itself.

Conference demands the Government acts on its promises contained in the Revitalising Health and Safety strategy statement June 2000 and elsewhere and introduce, without delay, a new Safety Bill that will:

1)make all health and safety crimes punishable by imprisonment and force the courts to raise the level of fines given for safety crimes, which are still derisory;

2)remove crown immunity;

3)place health and safety duties on company directors, who are currently excluded from the legal framework;

4)give all workers the right to refuse dangerous work without the fear of victimisation;

5)pass new regulations on stress at work to include work-related stress in Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR);

6)increase the budget of the Health and Safety Executive, drastically increase the number of health and safety inspectors in the field and strengthen their enforcement regime so they act as safety police dealing with real criminals rather than as employer’s advisors;

7)bring the victims of workplace crimes and their families into the Victims Charter as they have been shamefully excluded by the Government despite extensive lobbying;

8)pass legislation on corporate killing that ensures directors, employers and companies that negligently kill workers or members of the public face an automatic prison sentence;

9)strengthen the role of trade union safety representatives, including giving them the right to initiate prosecutions and enforcement proceedings by issuing Provisional Improvement Notices; the right to have Roving Safety Representatives who would cover workplaces as well as their own, the right to recognition irrespective of any workplace recognition agreement, the right to stop the job and so on.

Conference therefore calls on the UNISON National Executive Council to:

a)start a lobbying campaign with the membership to demand immediate action to address the above shortfalls from the Government, the relevant ministries and government departments;

b)take the above issues to the TUC General Council and lobby for a massive TUC political campaign to push the Government to act rather than to consult us one more time;

c)give full support to the Hazards charter.