Asbestos victims

Victims of asbestos-related diseases "should not lose a penny of their compensation payments" after the collapse of insurance company Chester Street (formerly Iron Trades). This is the demand of both the TUC and the parliamentary all-party group on occupational safety and health. The cost could be as much as pst95 million a year over the next 40 years, but the TUC insists that the insurance industry can afford it.

Around 80,000 victims, some of them with only months to live, could receive only a fraction of the compensation they are due, and for many the money could be completely eaten up by legal fees.

TUC general secretary John Monks and Michael Clapham MP are to approach the Association of British Insurers to press for an insurance industry safety net.