UCATT Northern
 UCATT Northern Region Seymour House |
News Archive
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The Conservatives’ Threaten to Slash Jobs in the North East
When David Cameron Leader of the Conservative Party was recently interview by Jeremy Paxman, he said: “We will target Northern Ireland and the North East of England, in public sector cuts, and transfer employment from the public to the private sector”.
Private investment in Northern Ireland was bombed out of existence in the years of the troubles. Cameron misunderstands the special circumstances of Northern Ireland, at the peril of the people. The peace has been born on the back of public investment.
The North East region had shipbuilding, mining, engineering, steel making, manufacturing all decimated under the Thatcher years. A decade Cameron wishes to airbrush out of existence.
In the North Eastlocal government for generations has provided the life chances for the people from education, housing, social services, as the saying has always been from the “Cradle to the Grave”.
What Cameron resents about the North East is the majority of local government is Labour controlled.UCATT’s message to it members is, “if you ever had any doubt there is a difference between the two major parties Cameron has spelt it out”.
For a future for all our regions Vote Labour on 6th May earlier if you have a postal vote.
by Wilf Flynn Executive Council member for UCATT Northern Region
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UCATT to Have Major Presence in North East on Workers Memorial Day
The first event will be a wreath laying ceremony at 8am at the Joe Willis memorial plaque on the Western Bypass at the junction of the A1 and A69. Joe Willis was a UCATT member who was working on the Western Bypass when he was killed by a reversing lorry in the late 1980’s.
Wednesday 28th April
Joe Willis Memorial Plaque
Western Bypass
Junction of A1 and A69
8am
John Scott, Regional Secretary for UCATT Northern will be speaking at an event organised by Hartlepool Trades Council alongside Rodney Bickerstaffe the former General Secretary of UNISON. The event will be followed by a service and wreath laying ceremony attended by construction workers at Hartlepool College of Further Education, Stockton Street, TS24 7NT at 11am.
UCATT Regional official Dave Short will be speaking to workers at the Kier’s depot in North Tyneside block C, Harvey Combe, Killingworth, Tyne & Wear, NE12 6UB, followed by a memorial service.
UCATT have also arranged for most major construction sites in the region to hold a two-minute silence in remembrance of workers who have been killed and injured at work. All sites at BNFL Sellafield will observe the silence.
Construction is the most dangerous industry in Britain. Last year 53 construction workers were killed at work including 4 fatalities in the North East.
John Scott, Regional Secretary for UCATT Northern Region, said: “Every workplace death is an individual tragedy. Workers Memorial Day is when workers come together to remember colleagues who were killed and injured at work and is an opportunity for all workers to renew demands for safer working conditions.”
UCATT are campaigning for the Government commissioned report into construction fatalities by Rita Donaghy, One Death is Too Many to be implemented in its entirety. The report’s 29 recommendations to improve safety include extending the Gangmasters Act to construction and the introduction of statutory director’s duties.
This year’s events are especially important, as it is the first year that the Government has officially recognised Workers Memorial Day.
UCATT represents 125,000 members employed in the construction industry throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland
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Increase in Construction Deaths in the North East
Research undertaken by construction union UCATT has revealed that there was a sharp increase in construction deaths in the North East last year.
In total four construction workers were killed in the region in 2008/9. In the previous reporting year 2007/8 year there were no reported fatalities in the North East. The increase in deaths in the North East is of particular concern as the overall number of construction fatalities significantly declined last year.
The number of construction deaths in the United Kingdom fell from 72 in 2007/8 to 53 in 2008/9, a decrease of 26 per cent. The decline was principally due to the recession, which has led to a steep drop in construction output and resulted in a large number of construction workers being laid off.
Construction remains the most dangerous industry in Britain. The industry is highly casualised. Many workers do not have contracts of employment, regularly move between employers and/or are bogusly self-employed. In recent years there has been a substantial increase in the number of workers being supplied to construction companies through employment agencies and gangmasters.
John Scott, Regional Secretary for UCATT’s Northern Region, said: “The rise in deaths in the North East is of great concern, particularly as in recent years the region has enjoyed a better safety record than the rest of the country. Each one of these deaths is an individual tragedy. Everyone involved in construction in the North East must prioritise safety in order to ensure that this rise in deaths is never repeated.”
Further analysis of the national data on fatalities shows that the most likely cause of death remains falls. In 2008/9 there were 21 deaths caused by falls, 40% of all deaths. The second highest number of deaths were caused by people being hit by a moving or falling object, this accounted for 5 deaths, 9% of the overall total.
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Last Chance to Book a Place at Asbestos Awareness Conference on Tuesday 24th November
The Northeast Asbestos Support and Awareness Group are running a free one day conference on Tuesday 24th November aimed at trade union representatives and others with a view to developing awareness and increasing knowledge about the legacy of asbestos and how to obtain compensation and benefits.
Date: Tuesday 24th November 2009
Time: 10am - 3:15pm
Venue: Irwin Mitchell, Gainsborough House, 30-40 Grey Street,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6AE
Program:
10:00am Registration and Coffee
10:15am Introduction
10:20am Asbestos: Uses and the development of knowledge of the risk to health
10:45am Asbestos Related Conditions, latency and other medical issues
11:15am Coffee
11:30am Pneumoconiosis Workers Compensation Act and Diffuse Mesothelioma Schemes
12:00pm DWP Benefits for asbestos related disease
1:00pm Lunch
1:30pm Common law compensation for asbestos related disease; basis of liability, causation, apportionment and claims handling issues
3:00pm Questions
3:15pm Close
For further information or to book contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel: 0191 279 0143