| Change in Law Brings Hope to Mesothelioma Victims
LEGISLATION will be in place next month to give full compensation to former Halton dock workers devastated by asbestos-related cancer. Ministers announced last week they would amend the Compensation Bill to overturn a court ruling that would drastically cut payments. The move means the change should be law before MPs leave Westminster for their summer break next month and can be implemented from next April. Asbestos, which causes mesothelioma, was widely used as insulation and ballast in ships that docked at Runcorn. Thousands more workers were exposed to asbestos fibres at the borough's chemical works, where it was used to insulate pipes. Click here to read full story This entry was posted on Saturday, July 1st, 2006 at 10:10 am and is filed under Health Concerns, Toxic Substances.
Mestothelioma Cancer
Winnick died Saturday at a hospice in Manhasset, on Long Island. The cause of death was mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer that his daughter Pamela Winnick attributed to exposure to asbestos when he worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II. Winnick was born in Romania and came to Brooklyn when he was 1. He graduated from Brooklyn College and earned a graduate degree in economics at Columbia University. He worked for the New York City Planning Commission and the Housing and Redevelopment Board before joining the Ford Foundation in 1962. He served as deputy vice president in the national affairs division from 1968 to 1986. Winnick played a major role in the foundation\'s effort to channel resources into housing, community renewal and minority enterprise following the turbulence of the late 1960s.
ABI: Quicker compensation for mesothelioma claimants
“ Insurers agree with the Government that action is needed to ensure that compensation is paid to mesothelioma sufferers quickly and efficiently. “ We have already agreed with the Government measures to make the current compensation system work better. We now need more fundamental reform to remove the need for lengthy legal processes, and to streamline the system." - ENDS - Notes for Editors 1. Enquiries to: Malcolm Tarling 020 7216 7410 (Mobile: 07776 147 667) Jonathan French 020 7216 7392 (Mobile: 07958 330 480) Lucy Butler 020 7216 7411 (Mobile: 07712 841 184) 2. The ABI is the trade association for Britain's insurance industry. Its nearly 400 member companies provide over 94% of the insurance business in the UK. It represents insurance companies to the Government, and to the regulatory and other agencies, and is an influential voice on public policy and financial services issues.
Despite dangers, a few factories in the North are open
Yona Fertouk, the head of the Histadrut labor union in Upper Galilee, is caught between a rock and a hard place. According to Home Command instructions, everyone living in confrontation line communities must stay in their shelters and safe rooms except for workers in factories and services considered vital to the war effort or those receiving special permission to keep operating. Fertouk is responsible for all workers belonging to the Histadrut in his area, which includes Kiryat Shmona, Hatzor and Safed. On one hand, he is responsible for their safety and well-being. On the other, he is responsible for making sure they have jobs. "What am I supposed to do in this situation?" he asked. "Should I take into account that the factory has to stay afloat so that the workers will have jobs after the fighting is over, or should I think only about the threat to lives now when they go to work? Where do I find the right balance?" All in all, Fertouk has taken a cautious approach.
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