August 3 2015

Employer pleads guilty over forestry death

• M and A Cross Ltd , forestry employer of Charles Finlay, pled guilty today in Rotorua District Court

• Killed at work in Tokoroa in forestry on 19 July 2013

• CTU took private prosecution after Government's agent, Worksafe, refused

The CTU has always known that the death of forestry worker Charles Finlay was due to the poor health and safety practices of his employer. “Charles would not have died if his employer had taken the appropriate steps and ensured a safe workplace – it is of cold comfort that they now, two years on, take responsibility for that” CTU President, Helen Kelly said.

“The CTU, with the support of Charles’s family, needed to take this ground breaking private prosecution. Worksafe, the Government agency whose responsibility it is to ensure employers are held accountable for healthy and safe workplaces, did not hold this employer accountable for Charles’s death.”

“If the CTU hadn’t sought justice then M and A Cross Ltd would never have taken responsibility for Charles unavoidable death. Justice would never have been served,” Kelly said.

ENDS

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