More support must be made available to victims of asbestos-related diseases, according to a leading trade union.
The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (Ucatt) has told public liability insurance holders that the UK government needs to do more for people with pleural plaques as it fears that new legal changes might not go far enough.
It said that new proposals to restore the right of pleural plaque victims to be able to make limited compensation claims was "shameful".
Under the new law, only those who took legal action prior to the outlawing of compensation claims in 2007 would receive a payout.
Alan Ritchie, general secretary for Ucatt, said that these measures show that the government is unwilling to compensate public sector staff.
"The state employed these workers and exposed them to asbestos, now the state must pay their compensation. A failure to do so is morally indefensible," he added.
Last year, the Health and Safety Executive ran a campaign to alert public liability insurance holders to the dangers of working with asbestos.