Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Time to listen to workplace victims’ families

Ian Lees-Galloway
Spokesperson for Labour Issues

Time to listen to workplace victims’ families

Labour has listened to the families of whose loved ones have been killed at work and calls on other political parties to back its proposals to make workplaces safer and prevent unnecessary deaths on the job.

“John Key promised the families of the Pike River 29 that he would do everything he could to prevent a repeat of the litany of health and safety failures that led to the tragedy that killed their loved ones,” Labour’s spokesperson for Labour Issues Iain Lees-Galloway says.

“National appeared to make good on that promise when they introduced the Health and Safety Reform Bill. But petty infighting – and their pandering to a minority of bad employers – has resulted in the legislation being gutted.

“All the evidence shows the best way to improve workplace safety is to give workers access to trained health and safety representatives. However, this Bill in its current form will deny that right to more than 300,000 workers.

“Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse claims that everyone working in a high-risk industry can have health and safety representatives. But he refuses to define high-risk in this legislation.

“This leaves too many workers at risk of being denied representation. Michael Woodhouse must make clear who will be left out.

“Labour is working with Government support partners on amendments that will make this Bill acceptable to the families of workplace victims, workers and the majority of employers who care about the safety of their staff,” Iain Lees-Galloway says.


ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.