Politics

The National Party’s billboards would be more honest if they spelt out how they were going to lift wages, Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said today. 

“National has released an industrial relations policy which cuts worker and union rights, is completely silent on lifting wages, and coupled with other policies will leave workers much worse off.”

The growing list of state assets that National wants to privatise is a concern, CTU president Helen Kelly said today.

“Workers will be worried to hear that National thinks it is okay for private companies to own our hospitals, schools, universities and polytechnics.”

"National's policy to get tough on beneficiaries is not only outdated and lacks respect, but it is an approach that undermines wages and has been spectacularly unsuccessful in the past and will be so again," Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said.
 

Lets hope that the “more consultation and work”  on National Party  ACC policy which Leader John Key has promised results in a radical re-think  to bring the policy into line with objective evidence and the publicly expressed wishes  of all stakeholders in our ACC scheme.

The Council of Trade Unions is joining the EPMU’s Work Rights Wage Drive in Christchurch today, as unions ramp up their election year activism.

The Council of Trade Unions today reiterated its call for National to release any background material in support of last week’s employment policy release.

“National's employment policy left as many questions unanswered as answered and letting the public in on the ‘real’ policy might address some of the issues outstanding,” CTU president Helen Kelly said.

“The two themes threading through National policy to date continued today with the release of their Employment Relations Policy,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said.

“National’s desire to reward the Australian insurance industry with access to New Zealand worker compensation has clouded their policy release on ACC, which flies in the face of available evidence on the scheme,” CTU president Helen Kelly said today.

“It is not surprising that at the same time as ANZ National is moving to outsource “back room” staff overseas, it chooses to attack the Government’s success in rebuilding the dilapidated public services of the 1990s,” CTU President Helen Kelly said in response to ANZ National’s report criticising public spending on public services.