CTU media release
27 April 2009

Workers gather to remember dead colleagues, fight for the living

International Workers Memorial Day, honouring all those killed, injured or diseased as a result of their work, will be marked tomorrow at services and rallies around New Zealand. The threatened privatisation of ACC will occupy the thoughts of participants as they reflect on workers’ health and safety in general.

On average over 50 New Zealand workers are killed every year in work related accidents (not including transport accidents), hundreds more die as a result of illnesses acquired through work hazards, and the latest available figures indicate there are more than 200,000 claims a year for workplace injuries.

This year’s day of commemoration coincides with widespread concern for the wellbeing of New Zealand’s unique and unrivalled accident compensation system, ACC, which is threatened with privatisation by the Government.

“We know from experience both overseas and in New Zealand, when the work account was briefly privatised in 1999, that privatisation could have a detrimental effect on workplace safety,” said CTU President Helen Kelly. “Injured workers could be forced into returning to work too soon by an insurance system which seeks to reduce or delay payouts to maximise its profit drive. This inevitably leads to further accidents or aggravation of unresolved conditions.”

“Workers could also be pressured into claiming that accidents did not happen at work in order to avoid the inefficient confusion of private insurers which characterised the 1999 episode. The consequence of this is to distort information on workplace accidents essential to understanding and tackling risks and trends in worker safety.”

“Occupational health and safety depends on openness,” concluded Kelly. “Privatisation of ACC will potentially stifle such openness, putting in jeopardy the concerted efforts of government, unions and employers to improve workplace safety and adding to the toll of dead or injured workers remembered on 28 April every year.”

ENDS

Sources:

Department of Labour:
http://www.osh.govt.nz/resources/stats/fatals/index.shtml

Statistics New Zealand, Injury Statistics – Work-related Claims: 2007 –Media Release: “Work-related injury claims remain steady”, 29 October 2008
(http://www.stats.govt.nz/products-and-services/media-releases/injury-statistics/injury-statistics-work-related-claims-2007-mr.htm)

CTU Workers’ Memorial Day information:
http://union.org.nz/campaigns/workers-memorial-day-2009

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