UCATT Northern
 UCATT Northern Region Seymour House |
News Archive
Regions
|
UCATT welcomes in-house contract at South Tyneside Homes
Construction union UCATT’s Northern region was pleased by the news that the in-house construction team at South Tyneside Homes has won the contract for repairs and maintenance in the landlord’s homes.
The workforce has shown they can do the job themselves if they are allowed to without the need for profit making private contractors. The move in-house will provide better value for money and a higher quality service to tenants and leaseholders.
Wilf Flynn, UCATT’s Senior Shop Steward at South Tyneside Homes said “the workforce who carry out the repairs and maintenance have always said give us the opportunity and we’ll do the job”.
Wilf continued “UCATT and other Trade Union Shop Stewards recognise the effort put in by managerial colleagues in drawing up the bid and the constant updating during the process.”
|
|
Asbestos Campaign Launch in Newcastle
Stephen Hepburn MP and Dave Anderson MP will launch UCATT’s postcard campaign to overturn the Law Lords decision to block compensation for victims of pleural plaques.
Mr Hepburn, Mr Anderson, UCATT activists and asbestos campaigners will launch the campaign in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The photo opportunity will be on:
MONDAY 17 MARCH
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE LAW COURTS
QUAYSIDE
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
NE1 3LA
10AM
Mr Hepburn, Mr Anderson and John Scott regional secretary for UCATT’s Northern region, will be available for interview following the photocall.
Pleural plaques is scarring of the lungs caused by heavy and long term exposure to asbestos. Victims of pleural plaques have a greatly increased risk of contracting mesothelioma the fatal lung cancer.
The North East Region has one of the highest levels of asbestos victims in England.
Pleural plaque victims can experience a number of debilitating mental and physical conditions caused by their injuries. One in seven of those diagnosed with pleural plaques will develop mesothelioma. Mesothelioma kills 2,000 people a year. The number of people developing mesothelioma is set to increase in the future and is likely to peak in 2020 with 10,000 people dying from the disease. Last year 144 people died in the North East from mesothelioma.
John Scott UCATT’s Northern regional secretary, who is a pleural plaques sufferer, said: “The Law Lords decision was outrageous and is a total injustice. I like thousands of other workers have been needlessly exposed to asbestos. Employers cannot get away with playing fast and loose with workers lives.”
In October last year the Law Lords ruled that pleural plaques would no longer be a compensatable illness. The decision has been widely criticised inside and outside Parliament. Campaigners have since been calling on Jack Straw the Secretary of State for Justice, to introduce fresh legislation, to overturn the Law Lords ruling. It is estimated the ruling will save insurance companies over £1 billion in compensation payments.
A copy of the postcard which can be sent directly to the Ministry of Justice calling for the Law Lords decision to be overturned is available for download by clicking here.
For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235 or John Scott on 0789 4414615
|
|
HSE safety plans inadequate warns UCATT Northern Region
Construction union UCATT have warned that a planned blitz of building sites by the Health and Safety executive is no more than a “sticking plaster”.
The HSE recently announced that they will be carrying out a safety blitz of building sites this month. In previous such exercises, despite companies being given advance warnings, up to 30% of sites are so unsafe that they have been issued with immediate improvement or prohibition orders.
UCATT have long campaigned for a much higher level of inspections from the HSE, which is part of a year round safety campaign and not concentrated in just a few weeks of the year. If blitzing does occur then it should be unannounced, rather than allowing companies to temporarily improve their sites before inspectors are present.
John Scott, regional secretary for UCATT Northern region, said: “All safety inspections are to be welcomed. However the general public should not be fooled, this is no more than a very short term sticking plaster. You do not increase long term site safety by making a pre-announced one off inspection.”
Last year 77 workers in Britain were killed on construction sites, a 31 per cent increase on the previous year. The biggest rises in fatalities were in the housebuilding and refurbishment sectors where deaths rose by 61%.
Northern England has had a particularly raw deal with regard to construction safety. Between 1998 and 2004 there were 23 fatalities in Northern England, however only 22% of these deaths resulted in a conviction, despite management failure being a factor in 70% of all construction deaths. Even where there was a conviction companies were only fined on average just £15,542, the lowest level in the country. After a worker is killed the entire process up to conviction now regularly takes at least three years.
John Scott, added: “For too long Northern England has had a raw deal from the HSE. A construction worker in the north should be as well protected as a worker from any other part of the country. If workers are killed or maimed at work their lives should not be considered cheaper than anyone else’s.”
|
|
New Northern Region council takes office
I welcome the re-election of the Regional Council for the Northern Region, such is the support no one had to stand in an election.
As we have in the region many members are capable and are prepared to serve on the Regional Council, it is testimony to those currently in place that they have the support they receive.
It is a pleasure to report back to the Regional Council on issues raised at the Executive Council, and participate with them on the rest of UCATT regional business.
There is a collective understanding of the requirements of the members and the regional business is always carried out in that manner, never a what’s in it for me attitude.
Regional Council
Division One Alec Nichol General Council Member (Newburn Branch)
Dave Rutherford (Amble Branch
Division Two Dave Hinnigan (Stanley & Anfield Plain Branch)
Division Three Ray Sanderson (Crook Branch)
Division Four Willie Whalen Regional Chairman (Carlisle Branch)
Wilf Flynn
UCATT
Executive Council member for the Northern Region