Profits or people?

Over 160 people are now known to have died when a textile factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed. Some of the workers said they had expressed concern about cracks in the eight-storey building (which made clothes for Primark, Matalan and C&A), but nobody took any notice. Profits are all that matter, and a number of European and American companies have moved their factories to countries like Bangladesh, where they don't have to concern themselves about worker safety.

Labour introduced the first Health and Safety at Work Act in the UK back in 1974, but for some time, there has been an insidious campaign by the right to undermine our excellent health and safety laws. The usual tabloid trash will post anecdotal absurdities, such as claiming that people are not allowed to stand on ladders without going on a training course first, all part of the plan to soften up people for when their rights are eroded. Cameron has said that our health and safety laws are “over the top” and Grayling has announced new guidance that will "help prevent businesses being duped into carrying out unnecessary electrical safety tests".

The Tories have been busy in the last three years undermining our health and safety at work. For example, they’ve exempted a million self-employed people from health and safety rules altogether and cut the number of health and safety inspections by a third, while exempting low risk premises from routine inspection. They’ve reduced requirements for businesses to report minor accidents and cut the total number of health and safety regulations in half. UKIP is no better, wanting to scrap virtually all employment legislation.

Cameron has said that he wants us to compete with Asian countries. His party is undermining safety at work and one of his leading donors, Adam Beecroft, wants employers to be able to sack workers without giving a reason. Vote for the Tories and continue this race to the bottom, and one day soon it will be factories in the UK which are collapsing and killing dozens, if not hundreds, of people.

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On a brighter note, the Tory Bill to allow workers to sell their Employment Rights for a mess of pottage seems to have been emasculated in the House of Lords.

If the Tories and/or UKIP manage to realise their dreams of scrapping employment rights and health and safety laws, this terrible state of affairs could be in the UK eventually:-

"The majority of garment workers in Bangladesh earn little more than £25 a month, far below what is considered a living wage, calculated at approximately £45, which would be the minimum required to provide a family with shelter, food and education. Many are forced to work 14-16 hours a day seven days a week, with some workers finishing at 3am only to start again the same morning at 7.30am. On top of this, workers face unsafe, cramped and hazardous conditions which often lead to work injuries and factory fires.

Since 1990, more than 400 workers have died and several thousand more have been wounded in 50 major factory fires. Sexual harassment and discrimination is widespread and many women workers have reported that the right to maternity leave is not upheld by employers. Factory management also take steps to prevent the formation of trade unions."

More details here:-
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We have of course been here before.

In Bournemouth, between the two World Wars, an unemployed man described the queue at the Labour Exchange in Yelverton Road as four deep and stretching from there down to Old Christchurch Road and up as far as Dalkeith Steps. A gap was left outside the Cadena Café for the morning coffee trade.
‘Signing on’ was a twice weekly ritual. Walking back home, they would scour the roads for enough ‘fag ends’ to make a cigarette.

As long as people continue to buy on price alone, Suppliers have to keep their costs to a minimum, or go out of business.

In today's Independent we read that Michael O'Learey's RYANAIR pilots have been obliged to go self-employed, selling their services to the Company whilst having to pay for their own uniforms, ID Cards, transport and hotel accommodation. If they want pensions or medical insurance (Ireland has no NHS) they must purchase it for themselves.

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Don’t fly RYANAIR

Apparently they got the ideas from Southwestern Airlines.

Edit. Correction. Southwest Airlines.



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Deleted. This thread is about health and safety in the workplace.

I wonder which part of the following rule is so unclear that it has to be broken over and over again?

"The discussion threads are not to be used to air grievances about the administration and moderation of this forum. Any complaints must be submitted by personal message to either or both of the administrators. Messages which are in clear breach of this rule will be deleted and may result in the account of the member concerned being suspended."

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Ivan.