Unions size up OSH laws as fighting tool

The National Party is accusing the CTU of hijacking the new Health and Safety in Employment Act to use as a weapon against employers.

"This piece of legislation is supposed to protect the health and safety of employees, but it's patently obvious the unions are grabbing it as a big stick to beat employers," says National's Industrial Relations spokesman Roger Sowry.

"The agenda for the CTU's biennial conference in Wellington next week spells it all out - the bid to tie OSH laws and the ERA together, the presentation on Health and Safety and Collective Bargaining, the workshops on OSH laws as building blocks for union action; it's pretty obvious where the unions are heading.

"National always knew this piece of legislation would give the unions more power and it seems the CTU's wasting no time in making use of its new industrial weapon," says Mr Sowry.

© Scoop Media