Manufacturing growth jobless - EPMU

Manufacturing growth jobless - EPMU

Growth in manufacturing announced today has shown no increase in jobs or wages says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union

The claim follows a lack of hiring and continued downward pressure on wages in the sector that the union attributes to low employer confidence in continued growth.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says it’s too soon to talk about a recovery.

“Despite growth figures we’re not seeing new jobs or a better bargaining environment at the frontline and we believe this is because employers are still cautious about what lies ahead.

“The difficulty is that this attitude coupled with a similar conservative fiscal outlook from government could drive us into a second round of recession.

“But even if we do see continued growth it’s a pretty meaningless recovery if it’s benefits are not enjoyed by the millions of working Kiwis who have borne the brunt of the downturn.

“We believe that now is the time for government to take measures to firm up confidence in the manufacturing sector to ensure that gains are ongoing and shared fairly with workers.”

The EPMU is New Zealand’s largest private sector union with 45,000 members in 11 industries including 9,000 members in manufacturing.

ENDS

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