Alliance Slogan Conceals The Issues

The Hon Sandra Lee's call for the business community "to support local people for local jobs" shows how little she understands the issues at stake in the current waterfront dispute, says the Employers & Manufacturers Association's employment relations manager, Peter Tritt.

"Ms Lee seems to merely be a mouthpiece for an appealing union slogan, which disguises the ugly truth about the current dispute," Mr Tritt said.

"The dispute is nothing more than the wharfies' union trying to bully its way back to the days when it controlled who worked, and when, where and how on they worked on the waterfront.

"The simple fact is that the union wants to regain its monopoly on the waterfront and will stop at nothing to harass and intimidate any local worker who wants to be represented by a competing union.

"A more accurate slogan for the wharfies' campaign would be: 'Put the wharfies' union back in charge of the ports.' We know full well what that means, and New Zealand simply cannot afford it."

Contact: Peter Tritt tel 09 367 0921 (bus)

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