Wayne Mapp
National Party Industrial Relations Spokesman

28 June 2005

CTU a 'branch of the Labour Party'

National Party Industrial Relations spokesman Wayne Mapp says many CTU members will be alarmed to see the CTU spending their union fees on blatant, politically partisan campaigns.

The CTU has printed and distributed a guide to voting in the 2005 general election, which has been distributed to members of the CTU and other major unions.

Dr Mapp says much of the information in the brochure is wildly inaccurate and all of it has a blatant leaning towards Labour.

"It could have been produced by the Labour Party itself and it may as well have been.

"This is more evidence of 'the machine' that John Tamihere says is being driven by the ninth floor of the Beehive, in a desperate effort to retain power.

"I doubt very much that this propaganda campaign has the support of the majority of members, let alone all of them.

"Union bosses are, effectively, using union funds for the Labour Party campaign. In doing so, they are removing the choice of union members as to political affiliation and ruining what little remaining credibility unions still have in the process," says Dr Mapp.

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