The Council of Trade Unions has asked US Ambassador Charles Swindells to receive a delegation from the CTU's 34 affiliated unions to express concerns over the increasingly worrying Iraq situation, and the implications for workers.

The Council of Trade Unions will work with Government and other stakeholders on the sustainable development programme of action announced today."Sustainable development is about how we build strong communities and a better life for all New Zealanders,' said CTU secretary Paul Goulter.

"Economic growth on its own is not the answer, because we need growth that lasts for generations. Sustainability requires a commitment to valuing people and the environment."

Paul Goulter said while there were many areas that could have been prioritised, the CTU agreed that all four areas announced today were important.

"The priority areas in the action programme are about basic things affecting the quality of life of all New Zealanders, like access to clean water and energy," he said.

"On a practical level, if workers spend hours each day stuck in traffic travelling to work, our cities are not sustainable. We need sustainable workplaces that promote work-life balance, are healthy and safe, providing decent wages and conditions. "

Paul Goulter said sustainability required an investment in people and unions strongly supported the Action Programme's focus on child and youth development.

"The future of this country will increasingly depend upon the investment we make in children and young people, so that they can reach their full potential. The elimination of child poverty should be one of our primary goals."

"After May 5, when stronger health and safety law is in place, companies with shocking health and safety records will have to involve their workers in making workplaces safe," said CTU secretary Paul Goulter today.

"Don Brash is advocating failed policies of the past which created large gaps between rich and poor," said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today. "New Zealanders have not forgotten that those policies created a climate of fear in workplaces and that the privatisation of key assets led to the massive under-investment in vital infrastructure we are faced with today."

Ross Wilson said Dr Brash, in his speech to the Orewa Rotary Club yesterday, clearly defined the difference between Labour and National.

"Now that Dr Brash has shown his cards New Zealanders will be very concerned that Bill English has given him the job of reviewing National's policy," he said.

"The Brash solution to skill shortages is to attack the 100,000 unemployed," said Ross Wilson.

"The real solution to skill shortages is not to attack the unemployed but to address the issues of education and training to ensure the unemployed are offered decent jobs," he said.

"The current government has done more to address these issues in the last three years than 10 years of National Government."

Ross Wilson said Dr Brash' attack on legislation such as our health and safety law showed that he has no understanding of the huge potential economic benefits in reduced accident costs and improved productivity of investing in health and safety.

"The clear commitment by the Minister to restoring fairness to ACC administration is the final building block in the process of rebuilding a scheme New Zealanders can be proud of," the president of the Council of Trade Unions said today.

"A recent Court of Appeal decision could lead to reduced payment for many workers on holidays such as Monday's Wellington Anniversary Day," said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today.

We didnt win the LabourStart Website of the Year 2002, but in 6th place, we were up with the winners.

Read about Workers Online, the winning site from the New South Wales Labor Council and the rest of the top ten union websites in the world on: http://www.labourstart.org/lwsoty/ [14]

"The information campaign on new health and safety law is absolutely vital given the volume of misinformation around about the Act," said Ross Wilson today. OSH today launched a public information campaign about the new law which comes into effect in May this year.

"The EMA (Northern) call for the abolition of the Employment Court is at best tired rhetoric and at worst an unjustified personal attack on Chief Judge Goddard," Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said today.

Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson has called on politicians and employers to stop the politicking of 2002 and make the new health and safety law work."The political process is over and it is time to make the new Health and Safety in Employment Act work," Ross Wilson said today.

The secretary of the Council of Trade Unions is calling on New Zealand union members to support workers in Hong Kong fighting for trade union rights.

CTU secretary Paul Goulter has invited union members here to support an international campaign protesting plans by the Hong Kong government to introduce a new anti-subversion law.