The gift workers need on Workers' Memorial Day

Putting a halt to the mega ministry (MOBIE) would be the best gift the government could give workers and their families on Workers’ Memorial Day, says Darien Fenton, Labour’s spokesperson for Labour Issues.

Workers’ Memorial Day will be held tomorrow to remember those who have died or been injured on the job.

“Folding the Department of Labour with its health and safety role into the business-focused mega ministry will see workers’ concerns left on the back burner.

“The Government's logic ignores the fact that there are around 2 million workers contributing to our economy, and their issues rights and safety are important too,” Darien Fenton said.

“New Zealand has a death and injury rate four times that of comparable countries like the UK, and yet there have been no assurances that the Health and Safety functions of the Department of Labour won’t be compromised.

“The mega ministry will usurp any resources the department had left to advocate for workers’ rights and safety to rollout slogan-driven policy, which will deliver for businesses, not their employees.

“The least the government could have done was to wait until the Royal Commission on Pike River Mine reports back. In that report there are likely to be significant recommendations for changing the way we deal with the health and safety of workers in New Zealand, including whether there should be a standalone agency.

“This is another example of the government putting the cart before the horse.

“Until the government prioritises the health and safety of workers in the same way it prioritises efficiency and cost-savings, it will be families who pay the price,” Darien Fenton said.