Coalition Government Plans For Health And Safety And Employment Rights Published

With the formation of the first coalition government since the war, and formed between the Conservative and Liberal Democrats, many would be forgiven for thinking that the worst of Tory policies stated in their election manifesto would be curtailed.

However, with the publication today of the coalition governments agreement on policy for the next five years, it is clear that when it comes to the working population and health and safety, many within the health and safety and trade union world may feel that little has been done to blunten the Tory axe on workers rights both in terms of their employment rights and health and safety protection.

The key elements affecting employment rights and health and safety regulation from the document ‘The Coalition: A Programme For Government’ are detailed below:

* We will review employment and workplace laws, for employers and employees, to ensure they maximise flexibility for both parties while protecting fairness and providing the competitive environment required for enterprise to thrive.

* We will amend the health and safety laws that stand in the way of common sense policing.

* We will ensure that there is no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament. We will examine the balance of the EU’s existing competences and will, in particular, work to limit the application of the Working Time Directive in the United Kingdom.

* We will end the so-called ‘gold-plating’ of EU rules, so that British businesses are not disadvantaged relative to their European competitors.

* We will cut red tape by introducing a ‘one-in, one-out’ rule whereby no new regulation is brought in without other regulation being cut by a greater amount.

* We will end the culture of ‘tick-box’ regulation, and instead target inspections on high-risk organisations through co-regulation and improving professional standards.

* We will ensure that any petition that secures 100,000 signatures will be eligible for formal debate in Parliament. The petition with the most signatures will enable members of the public to table a bill eligible to be voted on in Parliament.

* We will give the public the opportunity to challenge the worst regulations.

Whilst in themselves each individual item may not immediately appear to be a problem for health and safety and workers rights, taken together they pose a serious threat.

Given that the written media in particular are aggressively against health and safety legislation, the policies above will help to reduce the protection workers have. For example by utilising the ability to have petitions signed by 100,000 people or more turned into debate on the floor of the commons and then into a bill to be put before parliament, we can see that campaigning right wing newspapers will have a field day in creating laws as it galvanises it’s readership into following like sheep any petitions aimed at curbing workers rights and health and safety in general.

The simplistic ‘one in and one out’ rule regarding regulations and the ability of individual members of the public to ‘nominate’ their own regulations for repealing will again be used as a tool by the right wing media to attack the employment and health and safety protection of employees.

It is also clear that the intention is to water down even more, existing EU health and safety and other workers rights legislation interpretation before it is encompassed into UK law.

The full document has been published today 20th May by the Cabinet Office and can be downloaded using the category of Government Reports direct from the E-Library Database or from the cabinet office

Source: Unionsafety / Cabinet Office

Designed, Hosted and Maintained by Union Safety Services