08 November 2004

Shock Hidden Death Toll Requires Decisive Action

A new health and safety report revealed the shockingly high toll of decades of neglect in New Zealand workplaces and decisive action was required, Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

The first report of the National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee released today revealed that up to 1,000 workers died every year from occupational disease - up to 10 times more than died from accidents.

“This long-overdue research points to an occupational disease epidemic caused by poor workplace health protection over many decades,” Ross Wilson said.

“It is nothing less than a scandal that thousands of workers are dying because new toxic substances have been introduced into workplaces without proper protection.”

The CTU commended the Government for commissioning this report. “A taskforce is now required to identify the urgent action necessary to stem this developing epidemic,” Ross Wilson said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

EPMU - Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union

Proudly representing New Zealand workers

The EPMU is a democratic union representing over thirty thousand members in ten industries across New Zealand.
By standing together in a union workers get higher wages and better conditions.
As the country's biggest private sector union the EPMU can provide members with workplace representation, legal advice, a freephone support centre, work rights education and broad representation through the EPMU's campaigning and research work.
We campaign for fairness at work and a strong economy based on skilled jobs and investment in manufacturing.

CONTACT EPMU - ENGINEERING PRINTING AND MANUFACTURING UNION

• Website - www.epmu.org.nz/
• Media Contact - Stephanie Rodgers
• Twitter - @EPMU

• Link to - Media Releases
• Facebook

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>