Forest owners and contractors are urging the Council of Trade Unions to take to an independent review any evidence it has to back its strong criticism of safety standards in the industry.
They praised the CTU for making health and safety the focus of Workers Memorial Day activities last week.
Families and colleagues of forestry workers killed at work protest at Parliament. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Forest Owners Association president Paul Nicholls said the CTU was advocating solutions to the high accident toll, including stricter regulation of work practices.
He said if there was evidence that accidents were occurring because workers were over-worked, under-paid and exhausted - as the CTU stated - that needed to go to the review panel that the trade union body had helped set up.
"We want the panel then to take that evidence, plus evidence from all the other people that will present to that group, so that they can sift throught it and come up with recommendations that are going to help the industry," he said.
