Joint Call For Paul Henry To Be Sacked

Unite Union and Global Peace and Justice Auckland have issued a joint call for the broadcaster Paul Henry to be sacked from his position at TVNZ.

“It is a case of ‘three strikes and you’re out’” says GPJA spokesperson John Minto. Paul Henry is a serial offender. He has abused women, people of colour, gay people, people with disabilities and all migrant Kiwis who don’t look like him. This is not a case of a broadcaster exercising free speech. This is a broadcaster legitimizing bigotry and hatred in the community.”

Unite Union National Director Mike Treen says as a union leader he doesn’t call for someone’s dismissal lightly. “However Paul Henry legitimizes racism and bigotry in the workplace. I deal every day with problems associated with managers and even co-workers abusing staff because the look or sound different. Workers can end up tormented and bullied out of their jobs by the so-called humour being practiced by Paul Henry. When we try to do something about it, when we try to protect the workers, the inevitable response is ‘well, Paul Henry is allowed to use this language on national TV why can’t I. Paul Henry has become the poster boy for bigotry. He has no place on a national broadcaster paid for by taxpayers – taxpayers who include many of the people he humiliates.”

Unite and GPJA are supporting a protest to be held outside the TVNZ office in Auckland today at 5pm to allow people to give voice to the anger they feel and say “Zero tolerance for racism -Paul Henry has to go!”

ends

© Scoop Media