UCATT Prepare For Government Pleural Plaques Betrayal

Construction union UCATT have learnt that the Government and the Ministry of Justice are preparing to use a newly published medical report, as an excuse to betray thousands of pleural plaques sufferers

Last week an Industrial Injuries Advisory Council report was released which rejected paying compensation to pleural plaques victims. Nothing new has been added to the debate about pleural plaques by the (IIAC) report.

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: “UCATT has learned that the Government is preparing to betray pleural plaques victims and deny them the right to compensation and legal redress. If the Government does announce that plaques victims will no longer be compensated, it must be understood this is a complete betrayal of working class people”.

Despite acknowledging (and not for the first time) that plaques are “a marker of future risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma because they are a marker of exposure to asbestos” the IIAC does not consider that they should be compensated.

Mr Ritchie added: “Compensation for pleural plaques is not only about the medical evidence and never has been. This report is, we fear, going to be a smokescreen to justify the government refusing compensation to pleural plaques sufferers. The point is that workers were negligently exposed to asbestos, have been told that their lungs have been damaged as a result of that exposure and that they now have to live with the fear of developing a fatal asbestos disease. That is what justifies compensation for pleural plaques.”

In order to attempt to buy off backbench Labour MPs UCATT has learnt that the Government is proposing to pay £5,000 to all 6,500 pleural plaques victims whose cases are on hold. However once that money is paid there will no compensation paid to anyone who develops pleural plaques in future.

The money paid will be directly from the taxpayer, meaning that the insurance industry who were previously liable to pay compensation, will not have to contribute a penny.

Even in the tiny minority of plaques cases where compensation will be paid, the company liable for the damage and their insurers will not be identified. As no liability has been identified it will mean that if any of the victims develop mesothelioma they will likely die without receiving compensation. In cases where liability has already been identified the victim is likely to receive compensation before there death.

Mr Ritchie, further added: “Why on earth should the taxpayer fund compensation that should be being paid by greedy, grasping fat cat insurers. This is a kick in the teeth to thousands of people who will develop pleural plaques in the future. The injuries take 20-30 years to develop.

“Company bosses knew that they were damaging the health of workers but didn’t care Pleural plaques is an abnormal condition that can only be developed by exposure to asbestos. UCATT will never accept that those companies and their insurers should not be held liable.”

It is also understood that the Government will use a fraction of the £350 million it has set aside to pay plaques liabilities to establish a non statutory register of exposure to asbestos. The register will not be used to prove a company’s liability in having exposed a victim to asbestos.

Mr Ritchie, commentated: “A non-statutory asbestos register is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Every time the Government has introduced voluntary regulation it has been a dismal failure, this will not be any different.

In a further move to attempt to buy off asbestos rebels the Government will also announce that it will invest in a National Centre for Asbestos Diseases.

Mr Ritchie, said: “Research into asbestos diseases is desperately needed but to play off one set of asbestos victims against another is stomach turning. Anyone whose health has been damaged by asbestos deserves justice. Jack Straw’s proposals smack of the old Poor Laws splitting asbestos victims into deserving and undeserving groups.”

For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235 

Notice to Editors:

Pleural plaques are scarring of the lungs caused by heavy and prolonged exposure to asbestos. Victims often experience some physical symptoms but are also likely to suffer mental trauma. Pleural plaques victims have a greatly increased risk of developing the incurable lung cancer mesothelioma.

When compensation was payable for pleural plaques it was only worth a few thousand pounds. Crucially it meant that a company had admitted liability to exposing a worker to asbestos. If a worker then developed a more serious condition such as mesothelioma, the fact that liability had already been admitted, would mean that they would receive compensation during their lifetime.