Why are we here?
There’s many reasons we’re here, and this is why I’m here…
We have the right to a safe work environment: not to be abused to work; not to be bashed at work; and not to be afraid of going to work.
These are our rights by New Zealand law. But to many of us these rights are just empty words; just feel-good advertising… sarcastic and ironic.
And just remember, folks, if things get real bad, don’t bother phoning the police. You’re on your own… they don’t have funding either.
If only we had a dedicated government department whose sole job it was to force employers to provide a safe work environment. But we don’t.
I’m not a nurse. My sister is a nurse.
Before she got her permanent neck injury from nursing, I advised her to quit. After her failed operation to fix her permanent neck injury, I advised her to quit.
But she did not quit – instead she is fighting for her rights to safety as a nurse.
And you [rallying nurses] have not quit. And that is why you are here.
Author: Matthew Collins, the brother of a nurse seriously injured at work.
