www.republicans.org.nz
Date 18 March 2008
Press Release
For Immediate Release. FTA – Fair Trade Agreement?
I can appreciate the concern expressed by Unions over the FTA with China says Republicans Deputy Leader Bevan Berg.
“With Labour promoting this agreement and National giving it the thumbs up, any realistic debate around the FTA is not
going to be conducted in parliament; it will be up to the media.”
How could we not have concerns about this agreement, when New Zealand conditions are already so far behind Australia?
How could we not have concerns about this agreement when our manufacturing base is exporting itself to china?
How could we not have concerns about this agreement when we have already seen Chinese companies entering New Zealand and
competing on labour rates?
The Unions no longer have any effective representation in parliament, and if they want workers concerns raised they will
need to do their homework and represent themselves through the media.
“If the unions want this to be an election issue then they will need to find another political vehicle because it isn’t
going to be on the Labour agenda for debate”, says Berg.
ENDS