The fears of employers and businesses about the return of militant unions under Labour's industrial relations policy had today been proved correct according to ACT Leader Hon Richard Prebble. He said the copy leaked to ACT had proved to be accurate.

"Labour's industrial relations policy is a radical proposal designed to deliver industrial muscle to the country's trade union movement. It's a charter for industrial strife.

"It strips away the rights of ordinary New Zealanders who don't wish to be part of a union. It is compulsory unionism by the back door.

"Labour have spent this year trying to hide the impact of their policy from employers while at the same time pumping up the unions. Their policy has today spelled out exactly what I predicted this morning that it would.

"Labour has given binding commitments to the trade union movement on industrial relations.

"This policy is anti jobs and anti employers. It is designed to turn back the clock and put the country's workplaces back in the grip of the unions. Under this policy New Zealander would once again become a 'strikers paradise'.

"The policy puts employers fairly and squarely in the gun stating that: 'there must be no discrimination against workers in the grounds of their status as union members. In the case of a complaint of such discrimination, the onus of proof should be on the employers to show that discrimination has not occurred'.

"Replacing the Employment Contracts Act with union monopolies would be a disaster for workers and employers alike. The ECA should be strengthened, not repealed. We should be looking forward and working to create jobs. We should not, as Labour wants, turn back the clock and put the unions in charge," said Richard Prebble.

ENDS

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