Warnings That Legal Aid Cuts Will Give Companies "Free Reign" [8th Mar 2012]
Amnesty International has warned the UK government that the proposed changes to legal aid legislation could mean that victims of human rights abuses may not be able to get their cases to court. Amnesty refer to people who have had their human rights abused by UK companies while overseas, such as the workers in Nigeria who recently pursued a case against Shell for oil spills in the region. The changes to legal aid are expected to save the government £350 million each year. Amnesty have said that the fact that any compensation payments will be used to cover lawyers success fees and after the event insurance could mean that very little goes to the victim. Therefore people are unlikely to bring forward cases in the first place. They point out that the changes will mean that international companies will be given a free reign to do whatever they like overseas without fear of court action. Currently it has been voted that legal aid will be preserved for welfare benefit claimants and for clinical negligence cases. The Jamaican Prime Minster Portia Simpson Miller has called for the UK to apologise for the slavery inflicted on its citizens during the days of the Empire and that compensation would be accepted. The comment has been made as Prince Harry visited the region. Mrs Simpson Miller points out that no nation should have been subjected to the brutality of slavery. She says that she would not call on the British government to pay compensation, but hinted that if the government wanted to it would be acceptable. She also wanted to make the point that Jamaica should become a republic and that a referendum could forthcoming on the issue. Hundreds of thousands of slaves were used to work on plantations in the area during the 17th and 19th centuries. An ex-club steward and his wife have taken their employer to court for unfair dismissal after they were both made redundant at the same time. Ralph Wilson worked at the Roberttown Workingmen's Club and his wife was an assistant. Their job included their home where they had lived for 22 years. Initially the couple had been offered reduced working hours due to the financial difficulty the club was in, however just four days later they learned they had lost their jobs. The judge in the case ruled that the consultation period given to the couple was inadequate and so they deserve compensation for their unfair dismissal. The former wife of the Sultan of Brunei has launched a compensation case against her former bodyguard in the UK courts. Mariam Aziz is asking for compensation from Fatimah Kumin Lim and says that the bodyguard stole more than £18 million worth of jewellery from her. However Ms Lim has said that she was asked to sell the jewellery to cover gambling debts run up by Aziz. It has been claimed in court that Aziz gave a bracelet to Ms Lim for safekeeping but it was never seen again. It was not reported to the police because she thought she had lost it at the time. It was also claimed that the bracelet was sold to cover the debts for Ms Lim. Diamond rings have also gone missing presumed sold. The case in ongoing.  |
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