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Solidarity Call for Inquiry Into Coal Deaths |
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 Solidarity, Scotland's Socialist Movement have called for a full public inquiry into health and safety in Scotland's open cast coal mines following the deaths last year of Colin Ferguson and Brian French at Pennyvenie.
At Solidarity's annual conference in Glasgow last weekend, a motion from Coalfields Solidarity calling for the inquiry was passed unanimously. Jim Walls, convenor of shop stewards in TGWU/unite Scottish Coal branch, who represents workers across Scotland's coalfields said:
"We are delighted that Solidarity have backed our call for a full inquiry. A fatal accident report will not be sufficient to explain why so many deaths occur in this industry, only a full public inquiry will identify any systematic problems in the operation of open cast sites."
Coalfields Solidarity is a branch of Solidarity, Scotland's Socialist Movement formed by workers in Scotland's open cast mines.
To read the full motion click below.
A Public Inquiry into Health & Safety in the Scottish Coalfields
Conference notes that Scottish Coal Co. Ltd. were recently fined #400,000 for failing to ensure a safe system of working and other health and safety breaches over the workplace deaths of Colin Ferguson and Brian French.
This is not an isolated case and, since 2000 there have been 21 fatalities and more than 2,700 injuries in the UK coalfields. On average there is one 'three-day' accident (a worker being absent for 3 days or more due to injury at work) every day. Per capita, opencast mining is the most dangerous job in the country.
This conference calls on the Scottish Government to instigate a full public inquiry into health and safety in Scotland's opencast mines. A fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of Colin and Brian is not sufficient, will not allow the families and trade unions to ask questions and the remit will be too narrow to make a difference to the safety of workers in the industry.
Solidarity supports the families of Brian French and Colin Ferguson and the TGWU/Unite Scottish Coal branch in their campaign for a full public inquiry. |
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