Most Kāpiti Coast business will not be able to have a say in looking after their work place health and safety according to Labour Party Labour Relations spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway.
“After the Pike River disaster, National said they’d strengthen health and safety laws to make sure catastrophes like that couldn’t and wouldn’t happen again.But today they’ve shown us they’ve forgotten the lessons of Pike River.”
Mr Lees-Galloway said rather than keeping Kiwis safe at work, the government is planning to deny more than 300,000 New Zealanders the right to have a say in looking after their health and safety.
“If you work in a business with fewer than 20 staff, you won’t be able to have a say in your health and safety at work. That’s wrong and it puts Kiwi lives at risk.
“I’m introducing changes, called Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs), that will make sure all Kiwis get a say in their health and safety. And if other political parties, like New Zealand First, the Maori Party, and Peter Dunne, vote for them, they will pass.
Mr Lees-Galloway says big businesses want this change too. In fact the head of one of the largest employers’ representatives in New Zealand has called the government’s plan to exclude these workers as “deeply flawed”.
“Rather than listening to a few bad employers National should be making sure that every Kiwi has the right to speak up for safety at work.”
