Media statement
For immediate release
Monday, 24 April 2006

Dunne slams EPMU's bully-boy tactics

United Future leader Peter Dunne today slammed the 'bully-boy threats' of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union which says it will launch a massive public campaign against a proposed law that would allow employers to sack new workers within 90 days of being hired.

National's Dr Wayne Mapp is sponsoring the Employment Relations (Probationary Employment) Amendment Bill which would allow a probationary period of three months before new (especially young) workers are confirmed in their job.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says Dr Mapp must scrap the Bill within 90 days or there'll be mass stopwork meetings and marches on Parliament organised by the union.

"Who on earth do the EPMU think they are that they should stoop to this sort of industrial blackmail?" asked Mr Dunne.

"This is not France where industrial legislation is decided by street rioting ? this is New Zealand where these matters are decided by people making submissions to a select committee and by the people's elected representatives in Parliament.

"United Future's votes were crucial in sending Dr Mapp's Bill to a select committee for consideration and the EPMU's threats have had the effect of firming up our support for the Bill," said Mr Dunne.

Submissions to the select committee considering the Bill close on May 19 and it will be reported back to the Parliament in September.

ENDS

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