May Day is International workers day, and in NZ under this Government, there is very little to celebrate.
The manner in which National have waged war on Unions in NZ on top of the pathetic minimum wage and unsafe work conditions means workers have gone backwards with their rights.
Take the following attacks on workers…
-Employment Relations Amendment Bill
-Removal of right to collectively bargain
-90 day right to sack
-Forcing Employment Relations Authority to provide an ‘indication’ instead of a judgement and allowing employers to walk away from the good faith bargaining process
-Reducing Unions ability to enter work places
-Total failure of oversight at Pike River Mine
…the only ray of hope is a change of Government. Labour, the Greens & MANA all have a role tom play in standing up for workers in NZ, I loom forward to their election announcements on industrial relations.
Workers deserve better than John Key.
A great gaping hole for training and supervision and safety in forestry. A gutted mine safety inspectorate. Lack of support for teachers with difficult kids in class leading to assaults.
Not ‘elf an’ safety gone mad. Basic oversight to ensure that corners aren’t cut and newbies aren’t put at risk.
National. Rarely do they get much right, no matter how many terms they spend in office.
An analysis of the record of the last labour Govt. on workplace deaths can be seen at http://www.econ.canterbury.ac.nz/personal_pages/phil_gunby/pubs/oshnzjer.pdf. This has to be tempererd by the statistical error outlined here http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10883660.
Allowing for the 30% error, when Labour came to office there were around 4 workplace deaths per 100,00 employees. By 2008 this number was static.
By 2012, again adjusted for statistical error, this figure had dropped to 3.2.
This data suggests that there have been less workplace fatalities under National than under the last labour Govt.
IV – I would argue that work place accidents and fatalities may actually be under reported, as employers do traditionally make every effort to avoid any responsibility, and blame injuries or fatalities on other causes than work related ones.
It is similar to the under reporting in sensitive areas like medical malpractices, and looking at the high number of complaints to the Health and Disability Commissioner, who got over 1,600 complaints last year, and only “formally” investigated about 60 of them, of which over 40 were proved to be about breaches of the Code, one must assume under-reporting in such sensitive areas where proved failure and responsibility can lead to serious consequences.
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/14923-health-and-disability-commissioner/
Unless the case would be very evident, I would claim that employers do all to under-report, and excuse causes for serious incidents.
Also I would like to know how many people committed suicide due to having been treated unfairly while sick, injured and disabled, possibly mentally ill, by WiNZ and ACC. Figures on that are kept from the public, and causes for death get recorded on “technical” terms, often not telling the whole story.
So if I was you, I would not jump to conclusions about there being less work place fatalities and injuries. The forestry sector does certainly stand out as having an appalling record, which does not match your suggestions.
http://www.business.govt.nz/worksafe/information-guidance/national-programmes/safer-forest-harvesting/forestry-statistics-2008-2013
http://union.org.nz/news/2012/forestry-sectors-%E2%80%9Cone-trick-pony%E2%80%9D-insufficient-end-workplace-toll
My comment re “under reporting” in medical code breaches was meaning the under reporting by the HDC, who tends to sweep most complaints under the carpet, and only really deals with a few handful of complaints. There are enough complaints, but they are not taken serious enough.
The same will happen with work place accidents and perhaps even some fatalities. There will be employers and even coroners finding “other causes” than faults with the work place, same in suicide and so forth.
Under reporting is the norm, not over reporting!
It’s highly unlikely there will under reporting of workplace deaths. There are just too many other agencies involved (e.g. police) when someone dies.
Workplace death, due to unacceptable conditions at the workplace, or heart attack while at the workplace, what was the cause, and what did the coroner write?
Yes and no, we have also very unclear statistics on suicide and the reasons for them, and while a suicide may be proved, what ultimately motivated and caused the casualty, or rather fatality?
So police and others getting involved may prove some statistics, but not all that is behind a casualty.
I dare to say though, that re accidents, there is a motivation that an employer may have, to under-report, as higher ACC levies may be the consequence of too poor records.
Once again you are shown to be a lying toadie for the National government.
There is no mention whatsoever of “By 2012, again adjusted for statistical error, this figure had dropped to 3.2.”
You’ve simply made it up.
The article you’ve linked to clearly states, and I quote,
* my emphasis
You are an incredible piece of work, Anonymous User IV. Only you and Gosman can be so lacking in human empathy that you find discussion of numbers of deaths more important than the deaths themselves.
You and Gosman really are prime examples of modern-day politically-motivated psychopaths. You sum up National-ACT perfectly.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/04/29/national-on-law-and-order/
“The article you’ve linked to clearly states, and I quote,
“About 100 New Zealanders die in workplace accidents every year, an annual death toll of about FOUR* in every 100,000 workers, the Independent Taskforce reported earlier this month.””
Which then had to be adjusted for this:
“Statistics New Zealand today said an error in the way fatal work-related injuries were recorded meant in some instances one fatality was counted multiple times, pushing the figure incorrectly high between 2002 and 2012.”
Oh Frank, Frank Frank. Put your spade away my friend.
“There is no mention whatsoever of “By 2012, again adjusted for statistical error, this figure had dropped to 3.2.” ”
Where did I say there was? Those are my words, which explain the calculation I made to adjust the various figures for the 30% error.
By the way, regarding National-ACT supporter Intrinsicvalue’s statement,
I note that whilst National-ACT supporter, Intrinsicvalue refers to “the last Labour Govt on workplace deaths”, he doesn’t actually state what that analysis actually is.
Gunby does, however, refer to National on page 1;
Indeed, on page 12, Gunby takes a subtle swipe at National’s attempted privatisation of accident compensation,
Otherwise, the report does not focus directly on Labour (or National) governments per se. That iis merely National-ACT supporter, Intrinsicvalue’s somewhat disingenuous “spin”.
As usual, when National-ACT supporter, Intrinsicvalue, presents information, it is worthwhile checking.
Without exception he will mis-represent information in an unscrupulous, dishonest manner.
He is, to coin a phrase, “tricky”.
“I note that whilst National-ACT supporter, Intrinsicvalue refers to “the last Labour Govt on workplace deaths”, he doesn’t actually state what that analysis actually is.”
Yes, I do. It is, amongst other things, an analysis of workplace deaths. Which is exactly what I said!
NACT people do not consider workers as actual human beings, they support and worship the Banksters and Money People who make the world tick, the ones who generate huge profits by shuffling pieces of paper and emails around the world.
Get it right workers rights dont count.
Huh? I run a group of SME’s and I couldn’t do without my staff, which is why I look after them as well as I can. As do most businesses. This mythological planet you inhabit where workers are always exploited and bosses get fat on the sweat of the masses exists in your own mind only.
Poor buggers that need to work for someone like you. Hopefully they will move on to a real job sometime.
IntinsicValue is just another right wing Troll ….
He’s here to disrupt … derail …….. misinform ….. and generally push the national party spin on any particular issue.
He reminds me of PhotoNz a former Nact troll who used to foul up ‘frogblog’.
Trolls like PhotoNz and IntrinsicV are obviously in the loop of the national party machine as they jump straight on song and know all the ( prepared ) words.
I get the impression tax payer money is spent and wasted feeding these creeps their lines ….
Btw PhotoNz seems to have ceased being a troll at frogblog ….. but only because his support for a child sex offender getting discharged without conviction ( with a guilty plea ) kept coming back to bite him in the bum …….. this made the nats look bad by association so I think Photonz was told to change his user name and he posts elsewhere now …….
There’s always another right wing troll …………. its in their nature.
For your edification…
I am not affiliated with any political party.
I am not a member of any political party.
The only political party I have ever been a member of is the Labour Party.
I am here to counter the propaganda and spin put forward by left wing mediocrity, hell bent on converting this country into some form of South Pacific socialist outpost, and in so doing destroy the economic prosperity we now enjoy.
That’s why I’m here.
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