27 May, 2004
Who will be last to turn out the light?
The Green Party is challenging the Labour Government to give up on so-called free trade and instead protect New Zealand
industries from unfair competition.
Green Co-Leader Rod Donald made the call following the announcement that Sunbeam is closing its electric blanket factory
in Palmerston North with a loss of 34 permanent and almost 100 seasonal jobs.
"The Sunbeam closure is yet another example of a foreign-owned company shutting its New Zealand manufacturing base and
shifting production to China," Rod Donald said. "It's not the first to go and, unless the Government steps in with
sensible policies to enable local factories to survive, it certainly won't be the last.
Mr Donald said it was no surprise that New Zealand's trade deficit was at record levels, with so many goods once made in
New Zealand now being imported. The March trade deficit hit $3741 million, the worst result since statistics began in
1961.
"Labour's policies are totally contradictory. On the one hand it claims to care about New Zealand workers by increasing
the minimum wage, introducing paid parental leave and four weeks annual leave and improving health and safety and
accident compensation.
"On the other hand, it undermines those very workers and the business where they work by negotiating free trade
agreements with sweatshop economies such as Thailand and China and announces unilateral tariff cuts from 2005. Labour
can't have it both ways.
"Who will be the last to turn out the light and write the farewell note? It won't be anyone from a light-bulb factory or
a photocopier-paper plant, because both of them have closed down in recent years."
ENDS