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Opposition launches manufacturing inquiry

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Opposition launches manufacturing inquiry

3News NZ

The three parties said that they are not prepared to stand by while 40,000 manufacturing jobs are lost (file pic)

The three parties said that they are not prepared to stand by while 40,000 manufacturing jobs are lost (file pic)

Opposition political parties unhappy with the Government's response to a "crisis" in the manufacturing sector have launched their own parliamentary inquiry.

The inquiry was announced by Labour leader David Shearer, Green Party co-leader Russel Norman and NZ First leader Winston Peters after a jobs crisis summit in Auckland on Friday afternoon.

The parties decided to launch the inquiry after an attempt to hold a select committee inquiry was blocked by Government members of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.

The inquiry will look at the state of the manufacturing sector and its future role in the New Zealand economy.

In a joint statement, the three parties said that they are not prepared to stand by while 40,000 manufacturing jobs are lost.

They will invite other political parties to join the inquiry, and the public is invited to make submissions on the issue.

"We are particularly interested to learn from the personal experiences of workers and businesspeople who have lost jobs and income in recent years, and hear ideas for what government should be doing to give manufacturing the support it deserves," the statement said.

The inquiry committee will hold hearings for oral submissions around the country in early December, before publishing a report early next year.

NZN

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Comments

13/10/2012 5:34:37 p.m.

eddie wrote:

Yessss, the 'summit' meeting...how many attended?...taking out MP's and oficial Union members..how many?, LOL, bugger all!

13/10/2012 2:42:45 p.m.

alison wrote:

Its a sad day when the opposition partys have to do the govts job as they are uninterested in doing anything themselves. At least opposition partys can work together to get the job done and its a great chance to get some great ideas moving. Wake up National. This isnt the first time is it? Hfow about one on poverty too?

13/10/2012 10:54:33 a.m.

Jim Seaview wrote:

Bugger - no mention of "Quantitive Easing" or Printing heaps of money. I suppose these looney fads come and go.

13/10/2012 10:39:29 a.m.

Mike wrote:

NZ min wage when National took over was aorund 35th in the world and by 2011 it had risen to 9th in the world.

Given that some just above us affected by the Euro crisis, we are probably about 5th currently.

While Labour calls for increases to the min wage to $15 an hour (which would push up up to 2nd highest min wage in the world) they have policy to exactly the opposite with their devaluation and double digit inflation which would lower real wages (in their attempt to make NZ more competitive). Eg take the $13.50 min wage, and Labour policy is to reduce its buying power to around $10 an hour to make NZ more competitive internationally.

The unions support Labour, so why not work with business now and take some pay cuts to keep jobs. Eg the coal mining job losses, the union could have taken fairly small pay cuts and keep the mine viable, but they prefer unemployement over working with any business for the benefit of business and employees.

NZ cant do much about the world recession.

Printing money to make NZ more competitive internationally is intended to lower real wages, so the people wanting to raise the wages actually intend the opposite.

We can build more mid/low cost housing in Auckland/Christchurch, but we need to change Labours RMA to do this. We have high house/rental prices driven by a housing shortage, so some more housing would help that problem, letting existing incomes to stretch further - hence Labour/Greens dont want a bar of it!

13/10/2012 9:10:31 a.m.

@Huang wrote:

For your information Huang, De La Rue in the UK make plenty of money doing exactly that - printing money - and have done so for 150 years.

12/10/2012 5:14:35 p.m.

Huang wrote:

manufacture money?

12/10/2012 2:42:20 p.m.

Barrie wrote:

I hope the one of the first topics is can we match over seas manufacturing prices or will the groupe be simply recommending the workers take a large wage cut?

12/10/2012 2:22:31 p.m.

Quasimodo wrote:

I suppose they intend paying for this with some of Normans' funny money.