Brooke van Velden buries workers again on Pike River anniversary

Meeting with govt ‘complete waste of time’, Pike River families say

Pike River families say their meeting with the Workplace Safety Minister was “a complete waste of time”.

Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse sat down with Workplace Safety Minister Brooke van Velden at Parliament on the 15th anniversary of the Pike River disaster.

How bitter and malformed with hate must Kiwis be to elect ideological sociopaths like Brooke Van Velden into power because Jacinda had the temerity to save 20 000 lives during a once in a century pandemic, because that is what Brooke Van Velden is, an ideological sociopath.

The manner in which she knee capped women by robbing billions off them to balance her right wing Government without even blinking is sociopathic behaviour.

The manner in which she has attacked Unins and watered down workers rights without flinching is sociopathic behaviour.

And rolling back safety standards on the anniversary of the Pike River disaster is truly sociopathic behaviour.

Just as the Pike River movie shocks and disgusts NZers at the way those miners were trapped, Brooke Van Velden buries those workers again with vast changes to worker safety laws that allow the Bosses tom once again murder their workers with impunity.

What Brooke van Velden is doing on worker safety laws

1. Refocus on “critical risk”

   • The government is narrowing some obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act to only the most serious risks. MBIE+2The Beehive+2

   • For small, “low-risk” businesses, they want to limit requirements to “critical risks” and basic workplace facilities. MBIE

   • This means they are reducing “tick-box” health & safety duties that don’t necessarily prevent serious harm. 1News

2. Clarifying who’s responsible for what

   • Brooke is proposing a clearer split between “governance” (what directors and boards are responsible for) and “operational management” (what day-to-day managers do). The Beehive

   • The idea: let managers handle managing risks, while directors focus on strategic oversight. Inside Government NZ+1

   • Some argue this reduces “over-compliance” — where directors feel they must do more than legally required. The Beehive+1

3. Changing WorkSafe’s role

   • Under her reforms, WorkSafe (the regulator) is shifting from a heavy enforcement-first model to a more supportive, advisory role. Inside Government NZ+2HCAMag+2

   • According to a cabinet paper: WorkSafe’s main functions will be “providing guidance, information, codes of practice … monitoring and enforcing compliance.” MBIE

   • WorkSafe’s funding and budget are also being reorganised to reflect that shift. Inside Government NZ

4. Reducing burden on small business

   • She claims the current system imposes too much red tape, particularly for small businesses that don’t have high-risk operations. 1News

   • By reducing “tick-box” rules and focusing on genuine risk, she argues workplaces will be safer in a more efficient way.

We should be pushing for new corporate manslaughter laws…

Unions call on Govt to pass corporate manslaughter law – NZCTU

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is calling on the Government to honour the memories of the workers who lost their lives fifteen years ago today at the Pike River Mine by supporting a corporate manslaughter law.

“Corporations should not be above the law. If they are responsible for workplace deaths, they must be held criminally liable,” said NZCTU President Sandra Grey.

“We are today releasing a policy that calls on the Government to introduce a new crime of corporate manslaughter. This would hold corporations guilty for acts of culpable killing and give the public confidence that corporations and their managers will be held to account.

“Tragedies such as the Pike River Mine disaster demonstrate that corporations can and do kill workers. It is past time that our law is updated to ensure justice for victims.

“New Zealand has a terrible record. One worker dies every week on the job, and 17 more from work-related illnesses. Every single death is preventable.

…not allowing them to murder their workers.

Again.

How bitter and malformed with hate must Kiwis be to elect ideological sociopaths like Brooke van Velden into power because Jacinda had the temerity to save 20,000 lives during a once in a century pandemic?

This is on every New Zealander who voted National, ACT, NZF and everyone who didn’t vote.

This is all on you.

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