TUC says "red tape" means safer workplaces and better working conditions

Union leaders have hit out against employers' complaints about red tape, arguing that regulations gave valuable protection to workers on pay, conditions and safety.

The TUC said campaigns by employers were based on "spin, smoke and mirrors" and deliberately confused the administrative costs of regulations with the cost of implementation. The union organisation also accused employers of refusing to say whether they would repeal measures such as controlling asbestos in the workplace.

TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, said: "Employers have every right to complain about unnecessary bureaucracy or badly drafted regulations. But they lose support the moment they start saying that essential protection for people at work, such as protection from asbestos, is no more than red tape. Nor do they have any evidence to suggest that the UK economy has been held back by regulation or that British business is affected more than in other countries. It's time employer lobbyists put up or shut up. They should tell us they want to abolish the minimum wage, paid holiday rights and cleaner vehicle emission standards or stop calling them red tape."

The TUC said it wanted to expose the "myth" that regulation had hit jobs or that the UK was more heavily regulated than other countries.

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