"The Employers Federation survey on the Employment Contracts Act contains bizarre leaps of logic and has poignantly failed to ask the key question as to whether the Act meets with New Zealanders' approval," says Labour Spokesperson on Labour Relations Pete Hodgson.

"The research was undertaken in March, the same month as a more exacting survey was carried out for the National Business Review. Unlike the Employers Federation poll, the NBR research asked whether or not people approved of the Employment Contracts Act. Thirty four percent said yes and forty four percent said no.

"Good market research asks direct questions and then reports direct answers. By contrast the Employers Federation research is silly and has an even sillier commentary. The questions have been designed to skirt the central issue.

"Furthermore the commentary has leapt to some bizarre conclusions including an assertion that the Employment Contracts Act was needed to get New Zealand through the Asian crisis and the recent drought.

"At that point the Employers Federation expose themselves rather carelessly as people more interested in predetermined outcomes than in scientific accuracy.

"The key issue is unemployment. The reality is that unemployment has risen from under six percent in the years before the passage of the Employment Contracts Act to eight percent in the years since.

"Labour's replacement legislation will freely allow for individual employment contracts, a fact conveniently overlooked by the Employers Federation," Mr Hodgson said.

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