Maximum penalties not enough for Pike River Directors

Thursday, 18 April 2013, 4:13 pm
Press Release: Council of Trade Unions

CTU Media Release

18 April 2013

Maximum penalties not enough for Pike River Directors

The CTU welcomes the guilty verdict against Pike River Coal Ltd and calls for a law change to make company directors liable where their company was negligent.

Helen Kelly, CTU President says “Pike River Coal Ltd has gone under as a failed company that has left behind death and debt. We need to change the law to make the Directors personally liable where their company was negligent. They were in charge, and the company was clearly negligent in their duties to the men down the mine. The current law protects negligent companies and needs to change.”

“The Judge found that there were ‘fundamental breaches of the Health and Safety in Employment Act which lead to the unnecessary deaths of 29 miners’ and we are looking to the sentencing to bring a sense of justice for the families of the men who were killed. Maximum penalties need to be imposed.”

“All families should receive compensation and reparation, including the families of contractors working that day.”

“This again shows the inherent danger of weak health and safety regulation and we’re calling on the government to continue implementing the outcomes of the Pike River Report. We need to make sure this kind of disaster doesn’t happen again.”

ENDS

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New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

Te Kauae Kaimahi

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi brings together over 350,000 New Zealand union members in 40 affiliated unions. We are the united voice for working people and their families in New Zealand.

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