LTB290/15 Labour Workplace Manifesto Pledges Justice for Fam

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LTB290/15 Labour Workplace Manifesto Pledges Justice for Families of Those Killed at Work



No. 290/15

Ref A2/15

Date: 24 April 2015

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues

Labour Workplace Manifesto Pledges Justice for Families of Those Killed at Work

The Labour Party's Scottish leader Jim Murphy officially launched the Labour Workplace Manifesto in Scotland on Friday 24 April 2015 and has pledged to give the families of those killed at work a "genuine possibility of justice" by bringing in new legislation to amend the ineffective Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act.

The Labour party made the commitment in a 'Workplace Manifesto' - which also highlights promises to increase the minimum wage and outlaw the use of zero-hours contracts.

Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy said May 7 is the "most important general election for working people for decades".

Labour's Workplace Manifesto sets out plans for new culpable homicide legislation, which the party would seek to introduce, stating quite rightly that the current laws on corporate killing are "ineffective and not fit for purpose".

There have not been any prosecutions brought under the 2007 Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act in Scotland and just five convictions in England and one prosecution at the preliminary stage.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 was hailed as a landmark in law. For the first time, companies and organisations could be found guilty of corporate manslaughter as a result of serious management failures resulting in a gross breach of a duty of care. However it has rarely been used in the eight years of its existence.

The English Convictions are listed below. There have been some acquittals:-

Huntley Mount Engineering, charged with corporate manslaughter pending a preliminary hearing November 2014
Mobile Sweepers (Reading) Ltd, Guilty of Corporate Manslaughter fined £8,000 plus costs of £191,000 March 2014
Princes Sporting Club Ltd, Guilty of Corporate Manslaughter fined £134,579.69. November 2013
Lion Steel Limited Guilty of Corporate Manslaughter, fined £480k costs of £84,000. 20th July 2012
JMW Farms Guilty of Corporate Manslaughter, fined £187,500 plus £13,000 costs May 2012
Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings Guilty of Corporate Manslaughter fined £385,000 26 February 2010
The Labour Party is seeking to redefine the offence of culpable homicide to make clear the circumstances in which senior figures from organisations - including some public bodies - can be found guilty of causing death due to poor workplace safety.

The Manifesto states "We will deliver legislation that gives the families of victims a genuine possibility of justice through prosecutions ensuring that the law serves as a deterrent to corner cutting and risky practices from employers".

The Labour party is also pledging action to "improve the lives of working people" in the first Queen's Speech if Labour wins the May 7 election.

This would include a Bill that "reverses the worst elements of job insecurity, zero-hours contracts with poor health and safety, low pay and undercutting we have seen in recent years".

All CWU Health and Safety Reps will certainly welcome the statement and Manifesto commitment. The CWU was one of the Unions that pressed Labour to adopt a Workers, Health and Safety Manifesto.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer