Unions, doctors call for total British smoking ban
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Britain’s trade unions and doctors said on Monday the government should ban smoking in all workplaces, including all pubs and clubs, to protect workers’ health.
The call by the Trade Unions Congress (TUC), the umbrella organisation for the nation’s unions, and the British Medical Association (BMA) came as the government’s consultation on proposals for a selective smoking ban in England ends.
Views have been sought on plans to outlaw smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces and on how a ban might operate in licensed premises like bars and restaurants. The TUC cited research that showed a complete ban would not harm business and argued that proposals to allow smoking in pubs not serving prepared food, or in pubs with designated smoking areas, would cause a “confusing mess”.
“It is time for the government to be brave,” TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said.
“The public wants a ban, the health arguments are overwhelming and all that is holding government back seems to be a reluctance to say no to business lobbying or risk being called nannies,” Barber said in a statement.
The BMA, which represents three quarters of the country’s doctors, has already said it wants Britain to follow the example of Ireland, Norway and other countries that have banned smoking in all restaurants and clubs.
It warned the government’s anti-smoking campaign would be compromised if anything less than a comprehensive ban was brought in.
“If the government is aware of the hazards, how can it defend only a partial ban on smoking in public places—exposing many workers to toxic chemicals just because they’re unlucky enough to work in pubs and bars not selling food?” asked Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA’s Head of Science.
“The government is the guardian of the public’s health—actions speak louder than words,” she said in a statement.
Cancer Research UK and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the anti-smoking group, said a jointly-commissioned survey showed many pubs would stop serving food to get around the proposed partial ban.
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