GMB Magazine GMB25 Candid Summer 2016 | Page 18

HEALTH &

SAFETY

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GMB is getting into the ring and hi
back at the government’s lax attitude
to the health and safety of our members

f you work, your health and safety –
and the health and safety of everyone
you know and love – is taking body
blows from the Tories. Since the
Conservatives came into power in May 2010,
workers’ rights on health and safety have been
pummelled from three sides:

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2
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POLITICALLY
Through deregulation and
cuts to the Health and Safety
Executive and local authorities.

LEGALLY
By making access to justice
more difficult, and cutting
compensation.

SOCIALLY
Through the weakening of
contracts and employee rights.

This is why GMB is reviewing and renewing
its health, safety and the environment
activities. We want to give GMB health and
safety reps the tools, training and support
they need. We need to give them the
confidence to take on the challenge of
organising the workplace around health
and safety and environment.
So it’s time for GMB to pick up the gloves,
step back in to the ring and face the challenge
head-on once again. The first step is to make
sure we’re getting it right. GMB needs to know
what your health and safety concerns are,
and we need to know how we can best reach
GMB members. In the last issue of the
magazine, we included the GMB Health &

Safety and Environment Survey. To join the
health and safety fightback, please dig it out,
fill it in, and then return it to us by post to
FREEPOST GMB – you don’t need a stamp or
any other address details..
Or, go online and punch in your answers to
our survey questions at www.surveymonkey.
co.uk/r/GMB_H_S_E_Survey_2016. You can
do it on your smartphone or tablet, or on a
desktop or laptop. We’ve had a great response
so far, but we want to get as many replies as
possible. The more people who complete the
survey, the better we can understand the
needs of GMB members. It could be the most
important two minutes of your day.

FIGHTING FIT
The benefits for GMB members, their families,
and the whole economy are undeniable. The
consequences of the failure to improve health
and safety in the workplace are clear. Just
have a look at the GMB H&S scorecard (right).
We know the risks GMB members face are
changing – the issues are now as much about
mental health as physical safety. And we know
the government wants to make it easier for
negligent employers to exploit and ultimately
harm workers with almost no comeback. The
2015 GMB Special Report on H&S, Your Health,
Your Safety, available to download at

www.gmb.org.uk/about/how-gmb-works/
gmb-congress/gmb-congress-2015,
committed GMB to look again at its approach.
Since 2010, the use of zero-hours
contracts has exploded. GMB knows
only too well how many
employers base their
business models on
exploiting these
contracts and agency
labour, often using
migrant workers, to
avoid putting in place
the most basic
workplace safety
protections. Add to
this the huge
numbers of bogusly
self-employed
workers, particularly in
the construction
sector, and it is obvious
that large parts of the
economy are not
reporting incidents and
injuries. There is little or
no scrutiny of employers,
and no pressure on them to
raise standards.
Workers have no representation,
no voice and no exposure for their concerns.

!
Take our online survey
and

Punch in your answers to our health, safety
environment questions, and help GMB match the Tories
and greedy employers blow for blow.
www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GMB_H_S_E_Survey_2016

18 GMB National

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