IN response to Cllr Cox’s question, I am absolutely not joking — it is vital that every person reading this contacts their MP to ask them to make workplace health and safety a priority on the political agenda. Cllr Cox seeks to belittle the deaths of 171 ordinary, decent workers by trying to put the figure into some sort of twisted context.

Well let’s put it into its real context: 171 is the number of people just in the North West region who died actually at work or shortly after the avoidable tragedy that claimed their lives. Nationally, 20,000 people die every year as a direct result of their work — and that is just the official figure that the Governent admits to, goodness only knows what the true figure is. On top of that the Government officially admits that there are currently 1.9 million people living with an injury or illness that was either caused by their work or made worse by it.

Just so you know that wasn’t a misprint I’ll write that figure again — 1.9 million people. And let’s get something else straight, Cllr Cox, nobody loves having to relate these “statistics”.

Only a very sick and depraved mind could make such a suggestion. These are more than “statistics”, these are real people with real families and real friends. Shame on you for mocking them and belittling each and every one of ther tragedies.

This Government’s own figures show that health and safety in the workplace desperately needs to be taken more seriously by our politicians. And yet this Government continually panders to unscrupulous money men who care not a jot for the misery and suffering they may cause to workers so long as they can make a fast buck!

Last year they spent countless thousands of pounds of public money commissioning Lord Leveson to investigate and report on how health and safety legislation could be altered to reduce the burden it placed on business.

His conclusion was that current legislation places absolutely no unnecessary burden on business.

This Government’s response? Complete denial and a pledge to slash regulation coupled with a massive reduction to the budget of the HSE, so that what little regulation remains in place will not be enforced.

If you want to go to work safe in the knowledge that you will be able to go home again in one piece at the end of your shift then you must act now!

You must make your MP, and Cllr Cox, understand that none of this is a joke. This is literaly life and death stuff.

On April 28, International Workers Memorial Day, there will be a huge march in Manchester to mourn the loss of every worker who ever died at work. Join us if you can.

Dave Milne Brookfield Street Bolton