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With the CWU Branches' annual general meeting season beginning, the opportunity to make union policy on health and safety issues will no doubt be taken as proposals for the Union's main Conference start to be passed at Branch level. Liverpool Clerical Branch, by passing the following prop at it's AGM last Thursday 25th February, is leading the attack on the Tory's policy of creating a US style health and safety culture in the UK by trivialising health and safety and labeling health and safety legislation as 'a burden on business': "This conference is disgusted at David Cameron’s approach and plans made out in his “reducing the burden and impact of Health & Safety”; to give employers the opportunity to “self-Police” and “make their own decisions” and the promise to “remove excessive rules”. All this being said in a society where 180 are killed at work, 131 895 Injuries are reported to the HSE, 246 000 actual injuries occurred and 29.3 Million days were lost overall – 24.6 million in relation to work-related health and 4.7 million due to workplace injuries. This Conference instructs the NEC to campaign hard to hold onto and seek improvement to all H&S Legislation."
"David Camerons public dismissal of an already weak H&S legislation and plans to make significant cutbacks on an already streamlined HSE has led us to the position where, whichever government is in power following the general election, we will need to campaign hard to hold onto and seek improvement to all H&S legislation and HSE structures - this prop seeks to make this a priority for the CWU H&S Department which is already very active in the political arena through Dave Joyce and his team". The prop was carried unanimously and will be submitted to the CWU's general conference , being held in Bournemouth from Sunday 23rd until Thursday 27th May, on behalf of the NW BTU H&S Co-ord which is backing the prop.
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In moving the prop, Lee Davies, Chair of the Branch and it's Health and Safety Officer, said,