CTU Media Release
22 June 2012
Action Needed to Stem Flow to Australia
The council of trade unions says that action is needed to stem the outflow of workers to Australia.
Statistics NZ said today that 53,400 people left permanently or long term for Australia in the year ending May 2012.
Peter Conway, CTU Secretary, says “while there are limits to what can be done given the attraction of higher paid jobs
in Australia, these figures are a stark reminder to employers and the Government that we need to create more decent jobs
in New Zealand.”
“Action needed includes a lift in the minimum wage, and a lift wages in general through improvements to collective
bargaining, including the development of industry-wide agreements, and renewed efforts to lift productivity and share
the benefits with workers.”
Peter Conway said that the steady outflow at a very high level also shows that the 2010 tax cuts which gave $2.2 billion
to the top 10 percent of income earners was not only grossly unfair but has made Australia even more attractive
relatively for many New Zealand workers.
ENDS