David Unwin/Stuff
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff lays a piece of coal at the workers’ memorial in Palmerston North s Memorial Park, with city mayor Grant Smith watching on.
An annual memorial to those who have died on the job is a reminder of the need to take mental health as seriously as workplace safety experts say. Nearly 100 people took part in the International Workers’ Memorial Day ceremony at Memorial Park and the Keep All Workers Safe conference in Palmerston North on Wednesday. For more than 10 years, Unions Manawatū and the city council have held the annual ceremony in remembrance of those who have died at work.
Tuesday, 27 April 2021, 10:56 am
Last Thursday, New Zealand’s biggest public transport
company, NZ Bus, announced an indefinite lockout of about
280 drivers in Wellington who were to hold a 24-hour strike
the following day against attacks on wages and
conditions.
The Tramways Union filed an injunction
with the Employment Court, which on Saturday ordered that
the lockout be lifted. The court ruled that there was “an
arguable case” that NZ Bus’s lockout notice was
unlawful.
Bus services have resumed but the
pay dispute remains unresolved. The company said it would
not rule out more lockouts if there was not “significant
On April 28th, Workers' Memorial Day, working people all around the world remember those killed at work. CTU President Richard Wagstaff wants to see more done to ensure that everyone is able to return home safe and well at the end of their working day. .
Press Release – Council of Trade Unions On April 28th, Workers’ Memorial Day, working people all around the world remember those killed at work. CTU President Richard Wagstaff wants to see more done to ensure that everyone is able to return home safe and well at the end of their working day. …On April 28th, Workers’ Memorial Day, working people all around the world remember those killed at work.
CTU President Richard Wagstaff wants to see more done to ensure that everyone is able to return home safe and well at the end of their working day. “The facts clearly speak for themselves, too many working Kiwis are being killed at work. We must do more to hold employers to account. Workplace deaths are always avoidable and preventable. Employers who fail to keep working people safe should face serious consequences.”