Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! No. 153, February/March 2000
Simon Jones, aged 24, was killed on 24 April 1998 at Shoreham Harbour on his first day at work on the docks. Employed by an agency, not given sufficient training for the job he was to do, Simon was tragically to be the victim of privatisation with its increase in the use of casual labour and the resultant drop in health and safety standards.
Simon died because a grab bucket was not replaced by a lifting hook. This takes as little as one hour to do. The grab bucket can be inadvertently closed or opened because the controls are so sensitive and therefore by law no worker is allowed within six metres of the grab bucket. Accidental lever engagement caused Simon’s death. In order to save money, there was a cynical disregard for human safety.
Failure to prosecute will allow similar workplace situations to go unchallenged. However, a successful prosecution would open the floodgates to further cases. The government wants to avoid this and the family and friends of Simon Jones know only too well the upward struggle they face to ensure that justice is done. As well as political, the struggle unfortunately is also financial. To those most at risk, justice is most inaccessible. Legal aid under the Labour government has become even harder to qualify for and, from 1 April this year, will be stopped in personal injury cases. Simon’s family and friends need money to continue to fight.
The date for the second substantive hearing in the case of Simon Jones is at the High Court, Strand, London WC2 on 16 March at 10am. For the future of workplace safety and working class lives, be there to support the struggle for justice and against casualisation and privatisation. Contributions and fundraising for the Simon Jones Legal Fund is vital and urgent. For details contact Ann Jones via FRFI.
Hannah Caller
