Unison warns to check insurance clauses on terrorism

by Brian Turner

Story link: Unison warns to check insurance clauses on terrorism

A labor union has warned emergency services workers that they need to check their personal insurance policies to make sure that they are covered if they are injured or killed during a terrorist attack.

According to Unison, a union that represents emergency service workers, says that they need to check to see if their policies covering accidents and offering mortgage protection contain exclusion clauses that would leave them without help if they are killed or injured in the line of duty.

The union has also called on the insurance industry to drop such exclusion clauses.

A representative of the Association of British Insurers said that while some policies do have exclusion clauses, all the major categories of personal insurance - life, household and comprehensive motor insurance - are readily available with coverage for terrorist attacks.

In relation to the issue of coverage of first-responders in terrorism attacks, firefighters in Somerset threatened to strike over the possibility that they might not be covered if they are injured or killed when responding to a terrorist attack.

The strike was averted when they were promised that the issue would be examined, but Fire Brigades Union officials said that if it was not resolved in a satisfactory manner, the strike might still take place.