Forestry employment must be regulated now, Bridges must resign

“The death today of the ninth forestry worker this year is an outrage. Simon Bridges must resign,” said independent MP Brendan Horan.

He was speaking after the death of a forestry worker south of Nelson at midday today.

“Hell bells this is New Zealand, not Sudan. New Zealanders have the right to go to work and return home safe at the end of the day.

“This is beyond tragedy. It is an outrage that three men have been killed at work this week, two of them forestry workers” said Brendan Horan.

He is backing calls for immediate, decisive and effective action to ensure workplace safety, and wants to see a Government inspector on every forestry worksite.

“Action is needed. Regulations can be introduced to ensure workplace safety. The Government has the capability and the moral obligation to put an inspector into every forestry work site across the country.

“Yet the Minister of Labour Simon Bridges is sitting on his hands. Simon Bridges has refused to order an inquiry, even when the eighth fatality occurred at the start of this week. Today is the ninth avoidable forestry death this year. Simon Bridges has refused to put safety inspectors onto worksites.

“Simon Bridges is allowing over half the country’s cable logging operations to continue when they have not even been inspected by his Ministry. It is not good enough for Simon Bridges to say safety is the responsibility of the workers and the contractors. These people are being squeezed by long hours, low wages, the pressure to support their families. The forestry companies are squeezing the contractors.

“It is not good enough for Simon Bridges to be putting the interests of shareholders and their dividends above the lives of the forestry workers.

“If Simon Bridges had a shred of integrity he would resign today,” said Brendan Horan.

ends

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