WorkSafe changes will deter employees from raising concerns
Worksafe HQ in Wellington Central
Photo:
RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The Council of Trade Unions says proposed changes to WorkSafe shifts rights away from workers and to their employers.
The government is shifting WorkSafe's priorities
from enforcement, to giving more advice
.
The safety regulator is getting a new letter of expectations, having its finances rearranged, and it's main purpose re-defined in legislation.
The changes would not come with any new funding.
Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff told
Morning Report
the changes will deter employees from raising concerns, out of fear of being blamed.
"What we need is a culture where workers are able to talk about what needs to be done on the job and what needs to be made safe, not one where they can be blamed for [it]," Wagstaff said.
"I think it just reflects a government and a minister who sees everything as needing rebalance and she tends to rebalance things towards employers..."
The existing system needs to be strengthened not weakened, he said.
While he did support making advice clearer and more available, Wagstaff said WorkSafe was under-resourced.
"And I think WorkSafe understands that... what they need is resources to develop that guidance and promote it."
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said she expected the regulator to review its enforcement and prosecution decision-making to focus on "clear breaches and causation", and being even handed.
This would include "strengthening its approach to worker breaches of duty".
"I've been hearing there is a real culture of fear of people around WorkSafe, and I want people to feel like if they ask for help they will get that help - and so for any business or any worker who wants to know what it is that they should be doing to keep their workers safe, they will know where to go," Van Velden said.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks to media in New Delhi, India on 19 March 2025.
Photo:
RNZ / Marika Khabazi
She denied that this could mean slowing down the rate of prosecutions.
Wagstaff said WorkSafe needs to have a reputation that it will enforce the law when required.
"This really signals it's not intended to do so anymore."
Council of Trade Unions was not properly consulted on the changes, he said.
Christopher Luxon told
Morning Report
just being an enforcement agency wasn't the right approach.
"What we're wanting to do is rebalance it so it puts more of its effort on guiding those businesses to help manage their critical risks, what we don't want is lots of rules that actually people in businesses are struggling to navigate and as a result don't focus on the critical things that actually cause harm at work," Luxon said.
"At the moment you just don't want to have a whole bunch of guidance and rules out there everyone's trying to navigate and work out what the hell it all means.
"We actually want small businesses focused particularly on the things that will hurt their employees."
Luxon said the government hoped the number of people dying at work decreased.
Asked why the responsibility was shifted away from bosses to employees, Luxon said it was "rebalancing it".
Everyone needed to take individual responsibility, he said.
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