An asbestos warning sign, February 8, 2009
UNIONS welcomed a government announcement to end the injustice of asbestos compensation payments today.
Sufferers of asbestos-related diseases are entitled to £17,700 compensation but only £10,700 of this is passed to their dependants in the event of their death.
The reduction will be abolished under legislation that was laid before parliament on Tuesday.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “If you lose a family member to an occupational disease, you should get full compensation.
“The government’s new rules put this right. Grieving families shattered by the deadly cost of asbestos will now get every penny they are owed.
“Asbestos is still the biggest occupational killer in Britain — and it’s in workplaces across the country. The only way to protect workers and future generations is to remove it.
“That’s why trade unions are calling for a fully funded programme to safely remove asbestos from every workplace and public building.”
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