CTU MEDIA RELEASE

30 October 2008

CTU paper on options for the NZ economy

The Council of Trade Unions has today has released a paper on the New Zealand economy.

“It is a paper for unions to discuss but is released as a contribution to the broader debate on what should be done to support workers, firms and communities during the global financial crisis which is starting to impact on the real economy,” CTU Economist Peter Conway said.

The paper makes a number of suggestions on infrastructure, skills, industry strategies, support for redundant workers, productivity, support for NZ producers and manufacturers, provisional tax, depreciation, and trade.

“We also comment on proposals for a wholesale bank deposit guarantee and suggest that a condition should be that banks commit to a review of bank lending practices.”

The paper also proposes a consultative process with other stakeholders on economic policy options, Peter Conway said.

“A number of organisations have been making proposals on what is needed to stimulate the economy in the short run in ways which we all benefit from in the long-run. This paper is a contribution to the broader public debate on options.”

“The paper notes for example that any infrastructure spending will need to have a broad impact across the whole labour market including the service sector. And the CTU is proposing a skills and education fund as another way to bring forward investment in people,” Peter Conway said.

The paper can be downloaded here: http://union.org.nz/policy/short-term-stimulus-for-long-term-gain

ENDS

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