The Workers Party extends its solidarity to the families and friends of the 29 workers currently trapped in the Pike River mine.
This terrible disaster is the latest in a steady stream of industrial carnage.
According to the official government website http://www.whss.govt.nz/statistics.shtml
there are about 100 fatal work related injuries in New Zealand each year. That figure does not include premature death from workplace related disease, which is estimated at being 700-1000 deaths a year.
The primary cause of so called industrial accidents is capitalism’s drive for maximum profits. That drive leads to under staffing, speedup, lack of safety equipment provision, deunionisation of worksites with consequent worker deaths and debilitation.
It remains to be seen what caused the latest accident, at the moment the priority is for the workers to be rescued as soon as possible.
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I think the lack of safety procedures and equipment would be the most likely cause of accident especially in an underground workplace with unknown quantities of gases such as methane. What id like to know is why they would think of creating a mine so close to the Hawera fault line? Ironically one of Pike Rivers major shareholders is the Accident Compensation Corporation.