Pleural plaque compensation claims ban ‘must be overturned’

Posted 08/12/2009

A trade union has urged the government to reinstate the right to compensation claims for pleural plaque sufferers as a matter of “social justice”.

The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (Ucatt) has described the ongoing failure to overturn the House of Lords ban on claims for the -related illness as “outrageous”.

Alan Ritchie, general secretary of Ucatt, stated that this matter should be considered a higher priority than the introduction of ID cards, on which the government is due to spend an estimated £5.3 billion.

He also refuted suggestions that repealing the Law Lords ruling would cause a constitutional problem, adding that their original ruling was “fundamentally flawed”.

Mr Ritchie said: “Working class communities have been devastated by exposure to .

“The victims of and their families deserve compensation.”

This comes after the union last month criticised the government for committing funds to bank bailouts instead of restoring compensation claims for victims.