What’s Wrong With Business NZ
Press Release May 1st 2002
MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY...
Today is May 1st: Mayday, international workers day, a
day when we celebrate our resistance to capitalism. As part
of the Wellington Carnival Against Capitalism we are
protesting against Business NZ, the largest and most
influential business or capitalist lobby group in New
Zealand today.
WHAT IS BUSINESS NZ AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
Business NZ is the national body of the Employers’ and
Manufacturers Associations. Business NZ is the product of a
recent merger of the Manufacturers Federation and the New
Zealand Employers’ Federation. It is composed of many
regional business associations, including the Employers’
and Manufacturers Associations (Northern and Central), the
Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, the Otago
Southland Employers’ Association, and so on. It calls
itself the policy and advocacy wing of these business
associations ; it lobbies government, issues press
releases, and so on, to promote the interests of its
wealthy members. Basically, its main activity is to
pressure government to continue and expand the New Right
war on the poor.
WHAT DOES BUSINESS NZ STAND FOR?
More
profits for themselves (the rich capitalist few) by cutting
wages promoting worse working conditions. It wants to stop
workers getting better health and safety conditions at
work, as well as more pay on statutory holidays. lowering
taxes for the rich reducing government spending on things
that (well, sort of) meet our needs; like health and
education. It wants more user pays & market rents for state
housing. increasing government spending on things that
predominantly meet the needs of the rich eg. government
support for business (ie. corporate or capitalist welfare);
better transport infrastructure so goods can be transported
faster and cheaper for more profit. privatisation of public
assets, especially those owned by local governments more
free trade agreements. For example, it aims to have a free
trade agreement with the USA by 2005. These agreements
predominantly benefit the wealthy. anti-union legislation.
It opposes the tiny elements of the Employment Relations
Act that are positive for unions and workers. reducing
protection for the environment and the introduction of
Genetically Engineered biotechnology.
The predecessor to Business NZ ; the NZEF ; was at the forefront of pushing for the Employment Contracts Act and benefit cuts in 1991. It has also actively supported the other features of the post-1984 New Right agenda, such as the fiscal envelope rip-off of working class Maori.
IS WHAT’S GOOD FOR
BUSINESS NZ GOOD FOR US?
Business NZ claims to promote
economic growth for the benefit of all New Zealanders.
Bollocks! Overall Business NZ are a greedy bunch of
capitalists (people who own and control the resources of
society) who are only after more profits for themselves.
The aims of Business NZ only reflect the self-interest of a
few capitalists. As capitalists, they make a profit out of
exploiting us and nature, and want to accelerate this
process. New Right reforms advocated by Business NZ have
produced a society with the fastest growing rate of
inequality in the First World, a society where the rich are
much richer at our expense: 80% of us are worse off than we
were in 1984.
THE THIRD WAY: CAPITALISM WITH A SMILEY FACE
But what about the Business Roundtable? Surely, they are
more influential than Business NZ? This was the case a few
years ago, but the political climate has changed. As Helen
Clark and the Labour Party promote the third way between
the evils of welfare state capitalism and free market
capitalism, extremist New Right lobby groups for the rich
few like the Business Roundtable have become unpopular. The
third way agenda ; which is the same old New Right agenda of
more wealth for the rich and less for the poor, except with
a nice new caring, sharing image ; suits Business NZ
perfectly. They can sell themselves as less nasty as the
Business Roundtable whilst continuing to promote the very
same bash the workers & the poor policies of the Business
Roundtable!
BEYOND THE CRAPITALIST SHITSTEM
In the end,
capitalist interest groups like Business NZ aren’t all that
important. What is important is that capitalism is an
exploitative system, and we need to get rid of it! Lots of
people are realising this. With the New Right ; capitalism
with its gloves off ; we are being to work harder, longer
and for less pay, and suffering from more lay-offs,
poverty, disease and hunger, not to mention the brink of an
ecological crisis. But we don’t take this lying down.
Everyday, we resist capitalism’s dreary drill of submission
and oppression, through things like go-slows, phoning in
sick, or going out on strike. When this resistance becomes
more open and visible, then an anti- capitalist rebellion or
maybe even revolution ; which aims at satisfying the needs
and desires of all ; becomes possible. A new world is
possible!
BUSINESS NZ are located at level 6, Microsoft House, 3-11 Hunter Street, Wgtn, ph 496-6555, website http://www.businessnz.org.nz/ for MAY DAY AND ANTI-CAPITALIST RESOURCES, check out http://aotearoa.wellington.net.nz/mayday/ and http://www.infoshop.org or visit the Freedom Shop at 272 Cuba St.
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wellington http://aotearoa.wellington.net.nz/mayday /
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Wildlife!
Ends