Received from: Prospect
Effective regulation is key to protecting the health and wellbeing of workers and citizens, enabling a successful economy, protecting our natural environment and building a fairer society. Effective regulation has its foundation in cutting-edge science, research and effective legal enforcement. The Covid-19 crisis underlines the importance of regulation, collaborative working and international cooperation.
Congress applauds the dedication and expertise of staff employed in safety, environmental, health and other regulators. Their work protects and enhances all of our lives in countless ways.
Congress is concerned that the strength and effectiveness of social and environmental regulation in the UK faces a number of threats:
i. Funding, staffing and pay in regulatory agencies has been hard hit by cuts over the past decade – with some budgets cut by as much as half and most subject to the public sector pay restraint.
ii. Government ministers often indulge in negative rhetoric about regulation, proposing repeated “red tape challenges” that would further erode regulatory standards post-Brexit.
Congress calls on the General Council to:
a. support a TUC campaign highlighting the essential role of regulation in supporting a safe, fair and productive economy and protecting the health and welfare of citizens
b. continue to lobby and campaign for regulators to be adequately funded and staffed, and for their employees to be fairly rewarded
c. ensure that the voices of members in regulated sectors as well as regulatory bodies are heard in debates about the future of UK regulation post-Brexit.
Prospect