Legal Services
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Providing legal advice and taking legal action on behalf of members are crucial parts of our service - and not just when members have a problem at work.
We have a free 24-hour telephone hotline for non-employment related legal queries. Ask your local rep for the number.
And we have a personal injury scheme that covers members or their dependents who are injured or become ill through the negligence of a third party. In 2004 we won a total of more than £5m in damages for 201 claimants. In 2001 we won one of the biggest compensation payouts ever recorded in the UK, £1.2m, for a member who was seriously injured after being hit by a car while cyling home from work.
Other examples include:
- a member who received £12,000 following exposure to asbestos while working at Devonport dockyard in the 1960s
- a member from the Met Office who was knocked off their bike, fracturing an elbow, who received £14,000
- an engineer working for Royal Ordnance who was seriously burned when hit by a fireball while working beside an oil tank. He received £30,000.
Requests for assistance should be notified promptly to Prospect headquarters. Envelopes should be clearly marked ‘Prospect Legal Services’. Or you can apply online through our solicitors' site - ask your local rep or Prospect headquarters for more information. Do not enter into correspondence or negotiations until advice is received from Prospect. In particular, do not engage your own solicitor as this will exclude you from the Prospect scheme. All cases are pursued at Prospect's discretion, depending on the facts of the case. The full regulations and application forms are available from Prospect House. Special agreements have been reached to deal with certain claims to avoid the necessity of bringing actions for damages in the courts. The accident or disease should be reported to the Department of Work and Pensions and the employer.
We also have separate schemes covering radiation linked diseases and, in the Ministry of Defence, noise-induced deafness:
Compensation for radiation linked diseases
Compensation for noise-induced deafness
The Ministry of Defence (Civilian Employees) Deafness Compensation Scheme was negotiated by the former IPMS. Any civilian or former civilian employee of MOD who alleges deafness arising from employment with MOD is eligible to apply.
