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 John
Battle Member of Parliament for West Leeds. |
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A War Of Attrition |
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Of particular interest to me is the local connection with the Armley company JW Roberts (later Turner and Newall) and now under the banner of Federal Mogul. The American company is a multi-national which employs 52,000 in 25 countries and last year had sales of £5bn. The story goes back even further than you state in your article. In 1987 a Yorkshire Evening Post journalist, Richard Taylor, attending Leeds Coroners Court, uncovered the facts regarding a large number of deaths in the Armley area, relating to chest diseases. He went along to the recently elected MP for West Leeds, John Battle, and voiced his concerns. In 1988 John Battle raised a full debate on behalf of his constituents and others on the JW Roberts factory and appealed for help and justice for those unfortunates. The late June Hancock and her mother, residents of Armley, were two of those who were victims of that cruel disease, the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma. It was at Leeds High Court in 1995 that Mr Justice Holland took the unusual step of criticising Turner and Newall for "using any means possible, legitimate or otherwise... to wear" the plaintiffs "down by attrition". That is from the transcript. 'Battling' Battle, who is also a resident of this city, has fought consistently for the past 15 years in the House of Commons and is still today fighting this despicable war of attrition. As recently as January this year in the House of Commons, he used these words taken from Hansard: "Mr Justice Holland referred to attrition. In 1995 I thought the courts had settled it, but the war of attrition against the victims, sadly is still going on." We now know that Federal Mogul filed for voluntary chapter 11 reorganisation in the USA and for administration under the Insolvency Act 1986. This is a legal way of opting out of their responsibilities. From October 1 2001, Turner and Newall ceased to respond to or pay out on asbestos disease related claims. As recently as April this year, John Battle addressed an international conference at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on the need to develop international solidarity to take on the global asbestos giants and their insurance companies with consumer power to force them to compensate their victims. He said: "We cannot wait for 10 years or more of legal wrangling as administrators go through the insolvency procedures with Turner and Newall plc." I for one, do not agree with those who say "the press and politicians are all the same, they do nothing for us". While we have campaigning journalists such as Taylor and Lazenby and politicians who care, such as John Battle, the fight for gross injustices and the rights of the victims of all these grey-suited multi-national billionaires must go on. In John Battle's words: "This is a struggle for a just society that must be won." JOHN H JOSE, Blairsville Grove, Bramley.© YEP 22nd May 2002 |
I would like to comment on your excellent
article on the fight for justice for British victims of the deadly asbestos
mineral. Home Contact Surgeries Councillors Press Photo Gallery Asbestos In Armley Make Poverty History Links New Site
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