Received from: Prospect
Congress believes that well-designed, evidence-based and properly resourced regulation is vital to protecting health, safety and the environment. Union members across the economy value the role played by regulators, who are also trade unionists, in keeping them safe and underpinning quality standards.
Congress welcomes the government’s acknowledgement that “effective regulation provides important protections to consumers, businesses and the wider public”, and moves to strengthen regulation in some areas, notably the labour market.
Congress is dismayed, however, that the government has reverted to rhetorical attacks on regulators, referring to them as a “burden” on business and a “barrier” to growth. Announcements of regulators being reviewed, restructured, merged, abolished or losing their independence have been used by government to generate headlines, with no consultation and little regard to the costly disruption to their work.
Most regulators remain severely underfunded and unable to recruit or retain the skilled and expert staff they need because of budget shortfalls and centrally imposed pay controls. At HSE, this has undermined effective enforcement, policy making and scientific research.
Congress instructs the General Council to:
i. positively promote the vital work of union members working in regulatory bodies and the value placed on this work by all those working in regulated industries
ii. expose and challenge the underfunding and understaffing of regulators and the consequent risks to safety, the environment and the public interest
iii. campaign to oppose the arbitrary target to reduce the alleged costs of regulation to business by 25 per cent this parliament.
Prospect
AMENDMENT
At end of first sentence in Para 1 add
“and helps raises standards across public services.”
At the end of bullet point iii. add “and calls on the government to take an evidence-led approach to regulation and standards across the economy”
FDA