Monday, 28 February 2005

Dunne: Greens' strike call another show of lunacy

The Greens call for industrial action to back unions' five percent pay rise campaign is a call for a return to the bad old days of cancelled ferry sailings during school holidays and a country held to ransom, United Future leader Peter Dunne said today.

"Those were sad days in New Zealand's industrial history and the Greens - consistently the least responsible party - want to take us back there.

"This is more lunacy and basically shows they would bring New Zealand to its knees given half a chance," he said after Sue Bradford led the call for industrial action today in support of union claims.

"Green policy forms a clear and present danger to New Zealand's social and economic well-being, and it's no wonder Helen Clark would rather crawl across broken glass than be beholden to the Greens after the next election," he said.

Mr Dunne said individual and worker groups should meet with employers and negotiate pay rises directly, without resorting to uniform across the board pay increases, which smacked of the old days of rigid national awards.

ENDS

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