Listen to labour on China FTA, union tells govt

New Zealand’s largest union is again calling for the Government to put labour issues at the forefront of free-trade talks with China in the wake of that country’s refusal to allow unionists to visit.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union says that the cancellation of visas for senior world union leaders – including New Zealand Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson – raised serious concerns about labour prospects under a free-trade agreement.

Wilson was to attend an OECD seminar in Beijing next week with representatives of 25 governments, union leaders from 20 countries, and 15 foreign investors to discuss raising labour standards in China. China cancelled the meeting and invalidated all the participants' visas, claiming it was "inappropriate and inconvenient" timing. It is understood that the cancellation was ordered by senior government officials.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little is today writing to the Prime Minister to repeat the union’s request that the CTU be represented on the New Zealand panel negotiating the FTA with China.

“The Government must not underestimate the seriousness of this issue,” Mr Little said.

“It is the biggest single issue facing New Zealand manufacturing workers. They are well aware of the potential ramifications of free-trade with China.”

Mr Little said that workers understood the need for trade, but believed that the companies for whom they worked should not be exposed to unfair competition from foreign manufacturers who failed to honour even the most basic of international labour rights.

“The development of free trade with China must go hand-in-hand with the development of human rights in China,” he said, “particularly the right for workers to organise and bargain for better pay and conditions without fear of repercussions.”

© Scoop Media

EPMU - Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union

Proudly representing New Zealand workers

The EPMU is a democratic union representing over thirty thousand members in ten industries across New Zealand.
By standing together in a union workers get higher wages and better conditions.
As the country's biggest private sector union the EPMU can provide members with workplace representation, legal advice, a freephone support centre, work rights education and broad representation through the EPMU's campaigning and research work.
We campaign for fairness at work and a strong economy based on skilled jobs and investment in manufacturing.

CONTACT EPMU - ENGINEERING PRINTING AND MANUFACTURING UNION

• Website - www.epmu.org.nz/
• Media Contact - Stephanie Rodgers
• Twitter - @EPMU

• Link to - Media Releases
• Facebook

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>