news release

 

 

no embargo - 19 October 2011 ( Back to news releases)

Link to the Guardian letter Corporate influence and Westminster

FACK letter to the Guardian concerning Chris Grayling and corporate lobbying

The Guardian
18th October 2011

Dear Editor,

Good to see The Guardian’s investigative journalism exposing the links between the Tory right and the US radical right via the  neo- conservative fake charity Atlantic Bridge backed by the American Legislative Exchange Council which is doing such harm across the USA (Lobbying links put pressure on coalition).  That this government is meeting primarily with corporate lobbyists for deregulation and slashing enforcement as a false ‘burden on business’ rather listening to the deadly effect of unrestrained business bad behaviour on ordinary people is no surprise to Families Against Corporate Killers.  We are families of people killed by grossly negligent employers who flouted health and safety legislation, and we are terrified that current government policies of slashing enforcement (35per cent cuts to Health and Safety Executive) and threatening to cut health and safety laws, will kill and injure even more workers.  We have asked Chris Grayling the Minister at DWP to meet us but he has refused at least three times, sometimes pleading lack of time.  However, he has managed to find time to meet the all the main corporate lobbies: CBI, British Chambers of Commerce, Chemicals Industry Association, the EEF the Alliance of Industry Association, the NFU, The UK Contractors Group, The Environmental Services Association, the Association of British Insurers and Zurich.  Your article showing that Chris Grayling sat on the board of Atlantic Bridge, suggests that FACK represents the inconvenient bloody corpses of workers he can step over to get to the corporate lobbyists with the ready-made legislative plans!  This is shocking and undemocratic.  All the cuts will hurt us, but cuts to workers safety and health will kill and maim more of us.  The malign corporate influence on this government in redesigning the UK for their benefit only,  must be exposed. 

Yours sincerely

Families Against Corporate Killers,

Founder members: Dawn and Paul Adams – son Samuel Adams aged 6 killed at Trafford Centre,10th October 1998
Linzi Herbertson -husband Andrew Herbertson 29, killed at work in January 1998
Mike and Lynne Hutin – son Andrew Hutin 20, killed at work on 8th Nov 2001
Mick & Bet Murphy – son Lewis Murphy 18, killed at work on 21st February 2004
Louise Taggart – brother Michael Adamson 26, killed at work on 4th August 2005
Linda Whelan – son Craig Whelan 23, killed at work on 23rd May 2004
Dorothy & Douglas Wright – son Mark Wright 37, killed at work on 13th April 2005
Louise Taggart – brother Michael Adamson 26, killed at work on 4th August 2005

FACK Windrush Millennium Centre, 70 Alexandra Road, Manchester M16 7WD
Tel 0161 636 7557 mail@gmhazards.org.uk • www.fack.org.uk