Timing of ACC training cuts more than coincidental?

Plans by ACC to discontinue health and safety funding to a training programme run by Business NZ and the CTU raises questions about the involvement of ACC Minister Judith Collins, Labour’s ACC spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway says.

ACC today announced it decided “late last year” not to continue training provided by the two organisations because “while [it] did provide some value, it did not meet our level of expectations, nor deliver value for money.”

“Coincidentally this comes at exactly the same time as an attack on the cost of the programme by the Taxpayers’ Union and just months after Ms Collins raised the same issue in a press release.

“Ms Collins’ review of prevention investment appears politically motivated. Injury prevention programmes have been under attack the whole time National has been in Government.

“This reflects their short term focus on cost cutting with little interest in the potential for long term savings.

“Effective health and safety training is integral to well-functioning modern workplaces.

“When corners are cut there can be disastrous consequences, as we saw with Pike River.”

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