Wayne Mapp MP
National Party Industrial Relations Spokesman

20 August 2006

Workers voting with their feet – Mapp

It’s hardly surprising that union membership is plummeting when unions are blatantly misusing their funds to promote the Labour Party, says National’s Industrial Relations spokesman, Wayne Mapp.

Figures released by the Victoria University Industrial Relations Centre show that union membership has dropped by almost 100,000 since 2000.

Dr Mapp says workers are voting with their feet because they are fed up with their union fees lining Labour Party coffers for no return.

An Investigate magazine report shows that the Service and Food Workers Union alone spent $237,000 working for Labour during the last election.

“The unions have also poured more than $100,000 into a deliberate misinformation campaign that totally distorts the issues around my Employment Relations (Probationary Employment) Amendment Bill. For example, the CTU has said the bill will lead to 89-day rolling contracts, which is absolute nonsense.

“I’m sure most union members would rather their union fees were spent serving workers than on this kind of illogical hysteria and blatant politicking.

“But when more than half of Labour MPs and the vast majority of Ministers are former union representatives, it’s hardly surprising they are in such cahoots.

“Workers are voting with their feet – abandoning unions in droves – but neither the unions nor their Labour Party masters will take much notice while they continue to benefit from a sweetheart deal that totally ignores the fact that 1.8 million New Zealanders have chosen not to belong to a union,” says Dr Mapp.

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