Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, November 12th, 2016 - 17 comments
The Pike River families have decided to take a stand and are occupying the road to the mine to ensure it cannot be closed, sealing up the evidence of what happened and the bodies of their loved ones forever.
Written By: - Date published: 7:19 pm, November 11th, 2016 - 34 comments
The Pike River families will be protesting tomorrow to get their men out of the mine that killed them.
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, October 14th, 2016 - 42 comments
Helen Kelly, NZ’s most prominent trade unionist, has died. A battler to the very end, Helen will be greatly missed.
Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, November 20th, 2015 - 54 comments
The fifth anniversary of the Pike River disaster has just occurred. This post records some comments made by Andrew Little on his recollection of the day after.
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 21st, 2015 - 50 comments
Apparently worm farms and mini golf ranges are dangerous places. And worm farmers playing mini golf are in grave peril.
Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, August 19th, 2015 - 27 comments
Unbelievable.
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, July 30th, 2015 - 8 comments
Labour is proposing a set of amendments to fix the Health and Safety Reform Bill. They need the support of Peter Dunne and the Māori Party. Will they do the right thing?
Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, July 26th, 2015 - 45 comments
National Party delegates were greeted at their conference today by a sea of crosses representing the 291 workers who have died on the job since the Pike River disaster.
Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, July 24th, 2015 - 2 comments
The CTU’s excellent campaign to get a stronger version of National’s post-Pike River Health and Safety law has produced this excellent video, and you can sign to support Iain Lees-Galloway’s amendments to improve the bill.
Written By: - Date published: 4:16 pm, February 25th, 2015 - 7 comments
Yesterday the families lost only a small bit of the battle for justice at Pike in an application to get some of the documentation on the Peter Whittall decision. It is clear from the decision that the process of filing itself caused MBIE to agree to release a number of the key documents.
Written By: - Date published: 4:09 pm, November 6th, 2014 - 80 comments
I/S at No Right Turn on the Pike River decision.
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, December 13th, 2013 - 57 comments
A month ago John Key was embarrassed in the House by David Cunliffe over the failure of the Government to contribute to the compensation of $3.41 million ordered by Judge Farrish to be paid to the Pike River families. Yesterday’s deal saw this amount being paid and the charges against Peter Whittall being withdrawn. An embarrassing political issue was shut down by a decision not to continue with a prosecution. Are you concerned?
Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, December 12th, 2013 - 45 comments
The charges that Peter Whittall faced concerning the Pike River deaths have been withdrawn. And he and the then directors of Pike River are paying $3.4 million compensation to the victims families. While it is pleasing for the families to receive some compensation for their loss does the sanctity of our justice system require that the prosecutions should have continued?
Written By: - Date published: 9:59 pm, November 19th, 2013 - 23 comments
David Cunliffe has pledged that the next Labour government will pay the court-ordered compensation owed to the families of the disaster’s victims, and will then recover the money from Pike’s shareholders. As he succinctly puts it – this is the right thing to do.
Written By: - Date published: 6:53 am, November 16th, 2013 - 120 comments
John Key this week ruled out any Government contribution to compensation ordered to be paid by Pike River to the deceased miners’ families despite a strong suggestion by Judge Farrish that this should occur. Now that the photo opportunities have finished and the effect of the corporate PR spin has worn off the Government’s handling of the issue appears to be deeply cynical and totally unjust.
Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, July 7th, 2013 - 33 comments
Judge Jane Farish has ordered Pike River to pay $110,000 compensation for each of the families who suffered the loss of a loved one. But the various parties are not committing as yet to making sure that the compensation is paid. Justice demands that every cent is paid.
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, April 26th, 2013 - 47 comments
DOC is being cut to the bone. DOC staff, Labour and the Greens have all warned that these cuts risk another Cave Creek disaster.
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, April 19th, 2013 - 9 comments
Pike River found guilty of breaches of health and safety, leading to the death of of 29 miners. The CTU is calling for law changes to make company directors responsible for their company’s negligence. And the NZ MSM coverage of the catastrophe immediately after it happened?
Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, February 24th, 2013 - 118 comments
The thing I like about the Living Wage campaign is the branding represents strongly both the problem and the solution. The Prime Minister fell into its trap when he said that the Living Wage was not a priority for his Government. The statement says it all really. The Government don’t want you to work for a living, they just want you to work.
Written By: - Date published: 3:40 pm, November 19th, 2012 - 4 comments
Two years ago, on this day, the Pike River tragedy began. Twenty nine miners lost their lives, may they rest in peace. Their families are living with the aftermath. A private gathering for around 150 family members is in progress at the Pike River memorial garden in Atarau. A minute’s silence is being observed at the time of the first explosion, 3:44pm.
Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, November 7th, 2012 - 54 comments
On Monday John Key admitted in an interview that Pike River Coal compromised safety for profits. On Tuesday Jon Key insisted in Parliament that such a suggestion was ridiculous. Which John Key should we believe? Can he even remember what he is saying from one day to the next? Does he care?
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, October 17th, 2012 - 62 comments
Key denied promising the Pike River families that the bodies of their loved ones would be retrieved. Now that his faulty account has been corrected by new video evidence, he owes it more than ever to the families to do the right thing. Key made the promise – he should honour it.
Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, December 22nd, 2011 - 40 comments
CTU President Helen Kelly talks about Pike River and the death of security guard Charanpreet Singh Dhaliwal and what these tragedies tell us about employer accountability for health and safety in the workplace.
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, October 20th, 2011 - 101 comments
DPF is stirring the sewer again with ridiculous smears about a Labour candidate. Does he resort to mud-flinging due to a lack of National policy that stacks up?
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, August 8th, 2011 - 34 comments
Grieving families of Christchurch earthquake victims say that John Key has broken his promise to them. Key is refusing to even comment on the nature of the meeting. This must all sound very familiar to the families of the Pike River miners.
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, June 25th, 2011 - 14 comments
The spotlight was on Christchurch last week, and will be on Te Tai Tokerau over the weekend. Lots of stories are slipping by under the radar. But here are a couple of pieces that deserve further comment.
Written By: - Date published: 11:35 pm, June 15th, 2011 - 8 comments
Fascinating programme on TVOne Sunday this week – see it here and here – contrasting the Australian approach to mining with the disaster at Pike River. The key difference was the existence of union safety check inspectors. Australia use them, we don’t.
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