MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday 12 October 1999

ALLIANCE AND LABOUR CONDUCTING POLICY PR STUNT

The release of the Alliance’s industrial relations policy today could only be part of a carefully orchestrated policy PR stunt, Employers’ Federation CEO Steve Marshall said today.

“Labour and its political partner of some 18 months, Alliance, are trying to pull a policy PR stunt over New Zealanders.

“By getting the Alliance to announce such an anti jobs, anti growth and anti business policy, Labour hopes that that will distract New Zealanders from its own bad industrial relations policy.

“Already we are hearing reports of senior Labour politicians telling those who actually provide the jobs, New Zealand’s employers, that hey, we know you think our policy is bad, but whether you like it or not, compared with the Alliance policy you might start to think it isn’t so bad after all.

“Let’s be clear – Labour’s policy is bad. It will cost jobs. It will take choice away from workers, mean less flexibility, and encourage more conflict, not co-operation.

“This policy PR stunt is political spin and manipulation at its worst,” Mr Marshall said.

“As for Alliance’s announced policy itself, it talks about “Union Rules, Collective Agreements, Union Rights of Access, Union Meetings, The Right to Strike,” but nowhere is there a mention of more employment.

“Alliance’s policy is an exact replica of the bad old days when unions brought more conflict into the workplace and the interests of workers were forgotten about.

“Labour and Alliance should realise that New Zealanders are not fooled. 82.3% have chosen not to be members of a union. They will not take kindly to having unions forced on them or being required to fund them. Unlike Labour and Alliance, they seem to like employers and their jobs more than unions,” Mr Marshall concluded .

ENDS

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