Justice For Asbestos Pleural Plaques Victims - Petition

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Justice For Asbestos Pleural Plaques Victims - Sign The Petition:

No. 708/09
Ref P8
Date: 17 August 2009


To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues
Justice For Asbestos Pleural Plaques Victims - Sign The Petition:
[Pleural Plaques are scarring of the lungs caused by heavy and prolonged exposure to asbestos. Sign the petition and help us send a deafening call for change - JUSTICE NOW.]
 
Further to LTB’s 944/07, 145/08, 448/08, 762/08, the Health, Safety & Environment Department has been contacted by the 'Unions Together' Campaign group requesting our support for their Petition and they are asking for Branches to act because they need your help in getting justice for victims of this terrible disease. A petition calling for victims of Pleural Plaques to be fairly compensated for their injuries.
 
You will all know from the long list of my previous LTBs and CWU Voice Magazine articles that Pleural Plaques are scarring of the lungs caused by heavy and prolonged exposure to Asbestos. Until a few years ago, sufferers of the disease were able to claim compensation.  Crucially, this meant that companies were liable if they exposed their workers to Asbestos.  But in October 2007, the Law Lords outrageously scrapped this precedent – meaning that thousands of people with Pleural Plaques would not be entitled to a single penny, whilst insurers profited to the tune of £1.4BN.
 
The petition calls on the Government to do the right thing for victims of Pleural Plaques and restore compensation. The Scottish Parliament and the devolved administration in Northern Ireland have already done this - and with your help we'll get Whitehall to stop dragging their feet and get this sorted in England and Wales too. You can get Reps, members, friends and family members to sign the petition here:-

http://unionstogether.org.uk/justice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
*Please support it there are many CWU members past and presently suffering!!!

Employers have long known about the dangers of exposure to Asbestos. But instead of providing the protection required to safeguard their staff, many simply decided to hope they could get away with it.

A truly disgusting decision and a real abdication of duty.

Now thousands of men and women suffer from an entirely avoidable disease, and those who are diagnosed today aren't even entitled to compensation.

The Law Lords' decision that the lung scarring caused by Asbestos isn't worthy of compensation is clearly wrong. In fact, the whole process was dubious - with one lawyer on the payroll of the employers' insurance companies having the audacity to claim that Pleural Plaques were a "good thing." 

This couldn't be further from the truth. Pleural plaques are a sign of deep scarring to the lungs. Real physical injury, caused by long-term exposure to asbestos, and it causes significant mental anguish as well - Pleural Plaques victims have a dramatically higher chance of developing Mesothelioma - a lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Many victims describe this as a ticking time bomb that infects their lives with fear - imagine living with the knowledge that your lungs had been irreversibly damaged by asbestos. Tragically, we know of at least one sufferer who couldn't live with the fear and took their own life.

Together we can make a difference. We want to see the government take action to reverse the Law Lords' judgement and make this unjust situation right. All we're asking for is justice for the people who need our help.

*Please sign our petition - and then get your Branch Reps, members, friends and family members to sign it as well at:-

http://unionstogether.org.uk/justice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Together we'll send a powerful message to the Government - justice now.

Yours sincerely
 

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
 
[NOTE: Petition Organised by Byron Taylor on behalf of Unions Together which is the Campaigning Voice of the 15 Trade Unions (representing 3 million working people) that are part of the Labour Party and who campaign for the Labour Party because they believe that hard-working people are better off with a Labour Government and campaign within the Labour Party to help make sure that Labour stands up for the needs of our members. The Unions are: ASLEF , BECTU , BFAWU, Community, CWU , GMB , MU , NACODS , NUM , TSSA , UCATT , UNISON , Unite, Unity, USDAW.]