Thursday 18th July 2002

Engineers Fail MMP Knowledge Test

Alliance President Matt McCarten is offering Engineer, Printing and Manufacturing Union President Andrew Little a lesson in MMP basics.

“The EPMU wants to lead a political campaign for 4 weeks annual leave and yet EPMU President Andrew Little can’t seem to work out the basics of getting support in parliament under MMP” said Mr McCarten.

“It really is very simple, as simple as A B C:

A. The more MPs you have in parliament supporting a policy the more likely you are to achieve it.
As an ex-EPMU organiser, Lynne Pillay will presumably support the campaign and, as Mr Little knows well, Laila Harré has been leading the political fight for 4 weeks leave since before the last election.

B. Lynne Pillay will be elected as an MP because of her high place on the Labour Party list and Laila Harré’s best chance of being re-elected to parliament is as the MP for Waitakere.

C. It’s then obvious that the EPMU should support Laila Harré’s campaign in Waitakere.
This would clearly increase the likelihood of 4 weeks’ annual leave being achieved in the next parliamentary term.”

Mr McCarten said any other strategy will actually reduce the chance of 4 weeks being achieved.

“Why would the EPMU want that?”

ends

(Laila Harré is addressing the EPMU Biennial Conference in Rotorua this morning.)

Ends

© Scoop Media