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TUC debunks Tory 'compensation culture' claims

Report finds 86% of injured workers get no compensation at all

Tory claims of a rampant “compensation culture” in Britain were debunked yesterday in a report by trade unions and compensation lawyers.

Workplace compensation cases have fallen by more than 50 per cent in the last decade, according to a report published today by the TUC and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. It revealed that there were 183,342 compensation claims in 2002/3 but only 91,115 in 2012/13.

“In spite of this decline in the number of cases staff are taking to court, the government is making it even harder for workers to pursue claims of employer negligence by taking the burden of proof away from the employer and increasing the costs employees have to pay to have their case heard,” said the report.

It added that 85.7 per cent of workers injured or made ill at work get no compensation whatsoever.

“Each year around 500,000 people are made ill as a result of their job and a further 110,000 are injured while carrying out their daily duties.”

The most common injuries included back problems, repetitive strain injury, injuries caused by slips and falls, skin diseases and hearing problems.

“However, only around 90,000 workers manage to gain any compensation from their employer following an injury or accident in their office or workplace,” said the report.

Most compensation settlements are less than £5,000.

The report told employers to “stop acting negligently and stop killing and injuring workers.”

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