15,000 join “Fairness at Work” day of action opposing 90-day fire-at-will law

15,000 thousand Kiwi workers from Kaitaia to Bluff had joined the “Fairness at Work” Nationwide Day of Action by lunchtime today, highlighting growing opposition to the Government's proposed employment law changes, said New Zealand's largest private sector union, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU).

At least 7,000 packed the TelstraClear Pacific Stadium in Auckland and 4,000 rallied outside Parliament in Wellington with thousands more turning out in regional centres including Hamilton, Hastings and Nelson.

"The size of the turnout from Kaitaia to Bluff at dozens of events shows there is widespread opposition to the proposed unfair new laws and the government doesn’t have a mandate to pass them," says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little, who spoke at the largest rally in South Auckland, which attracted 7,000.

“Every one of the 7,000 people that attended today in Auckland has a family who they will talk to about these unfair laws.”

“This is going to be an election issue in 2011 if the government doesn’t back down.”

Thousands more are expected at events throughout the afternoon in many other centres.

ENDS