The Scottish Trades Union Congress has criticised claims by the Federation of Small Businesses that health and safety legislation holds the British economy back.

The STUC claims that the FSB's report Whatever Happened to Common Sense? appears to suggest that small businesses should receive preferential treatment in protecting workers’ safety.

General Secretary Grahame Smith said: "The STUC have been working closely with the Scottish Government and other partners including the FSB in Scotland to support small businesses. It is disappointing to find the FSB, nationally, arguing for employees of their members to have less protection in the workplace than others, for questionable economic reasons.

"This report appears to be arguing for preferential treatment for small businesses in an area of legislation that was introduced in 1974 to protect all workers, irrespective of the size of organisation in which they work.

"The comments about the UK 'gold plating' legislation are fantasy as the battles trade unions have faced with the Government on the application of EU Directives in the UK have proven."

“The Government has consistently given too much weight to the views of employers, large and small on of the EU Working Hours Directive, the European Health and Safety Directive and minimum holiday entitlement. Consequently they have interpreted legislation in a way that is more appropriately described as tin plated rather than gold plated”.

Smith pointed to the example of the Stockline tragedy. "The events of May 11 2004, when nine workers lost their lives working for a small business in Maryhill support this view. Evidence suggests that in that case failures developed over a period of 35 years and should have been picked up."

However Andrew Watson of the FSB in Scotland said that the STUC had deliberately distorted what it was trying to achieve.  "Simplification of health and safety law would make it easier for small businesses to implement legislation and ensure their workers are protected. 
 
"Small firms spend seven hours a week dealing with regulation, which could be better spent focusing on growing the business and taking on more employees.  If the STUC was serious about making workplaces safer and increasing employment, they would support our campaign for shorter and clearer health and safety legislation."

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