July 13 2011

Rail Workers Boycott CEO: Hillside Workers Announce ‘Work In’

Union members at KiwiRail will boycott CEO Jim Quinn’s national ‘roadshow’ when it arrives at Carisbrook in Dunedin tomorrow morning, staging a ‘work in’ at the Hillside rail engineering factory.

In a separate meeting Hillside workers expect to hear whether the Company will cull over 40 jobs at Hillside from KiwiRail tomorrow afternoon.

“Our members have been invited to listen to Mr Quinn and his entourage as he does the Dunedin leg of his national tour. They have told us, in no uncertain terms they are in no mood for a presentation by management on the same day that KiwiRail will announce its final decision on the proposal to slash 40 jobs at Hillside,” said Rail and Maritime Transport Union organiser John Kerr.

“Our members were not impressed with the roadshow meeting when a significant number of workers in Dunedin are staring down the barrel of redundancy. Our Port Chalmers Branch members support this stance and the Keep Kiwis Working campaign will picket Carisbrook.”

“Hillside workers are heartened by the support of their fellow members and the wider community, following the recent public meeting and rally in Dunedin,” said John Kerr.

KiwiRail is proposing to cut 70 jobs at workshops in Dunedin and Lower Hutt. This follows the company’s decision to send both the $500 million rail construction job for the electrification of the Auckland rail network, and the building of 300 new container flat top wagons, to overseas firms.

ENDS

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