Hon Roger Sowry MP National Party Industrial Relations Spokesman

23 October 2003

Clark outlines anti-business agenda

"Helen Clark has used a speech to the CTU today to outline Labour's anti-business agenda," says National Party Industrial Relations spokesman Roger Sowry.

"It provides the clearest signal yet of the Labour Government's anti-employer initiatives in industrial relations, initiatives that will eventually erode growth and stifle investment.

"She's re-iterated plans to impose huge costs on employers through the four weeks leave election bribe, while entrepreneurs can expect a bureaucratic nightmare as equal pay for equal work provisions are put in place.

"It's ironic that Helen Clark and Margaret Wilson are pursuing this old-school, heavily regulated European style approach to labour laws, at the very time that the labour laws of France and Germany are stifling growth and causing high unemployment.

"The agenda will do nothing to improve our competitiveness, reduce business compliance costs or grow jobs and wages.

"It's becoming increasingly clear why the Government has abandoned its policy of returning New Zealand to the top half of the OECD in a decade, given there's also more trouble heading the way of our economy.

"Australia will soon start reaping rewards from a Free Trade deal with the US. That will inevitably put the business environment in New Zealand under increasing pressure.

"Helen Clark has already admitted she's worried about the impact of divestment to Australia, but her Government's agenda will only serve to speed up a business exodus across the Tasman," says Mr Sowry.

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