CTU Media Release
18 April 2013
Maximum penalties not enough for Pike River Directors
The CTU welcomes the guilty verdict against Pike River Coal Ltd and calls for a law change to make company directors
liable where their company was negligent.
Helen Kelly, CTU President says “Pike River Coal Ltd has gone under as a failed company that has left behind death and
debt. We need to change the law to make the Directors personally liable where their company was negligent. They were in
charge, and the company was clearly negligent in their duties to the men down the mine. The current law protects
negligent companies and needs to change.”
“The Judge found that there were ‘fundamental breaches of the Health and Safety in Employment Act which lead to the
unnecessary deaths of 29 miners’ and we are looking to the sentencing to bring a sense of justice for the families of
the men who were killed. Maximum penalties need to be imposed.”
“All families should receive compensation and reparation, including the families of contractors working that day.”
“This again shows the inherent danger of weak health and safety regulation and we’re calling on the government to
continue implementing the outcomes of the Pike River Report. We need to make sure this kind of disaster doesn’t happen
again.”
ENDS