More jobs losses confirm need for action on manufacturing crisis

Friday, 14 Jun 2013 | Press Release

The 84 job losses at Safe Air add to the toll of 40,000 manufacturing jobs lost in this country since 2008. We need these high-skill, well-paying jobs; we can’t all be minimum wage workers at John Key’s casino.

The loss of 84 high-skill, well-paid jobs at Safe Air in Blenheim due to the high dollar shows the urgent need for change to end the crisis in manufacturing, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

Safe Air maintains aircraft and is Blenheim’s single largest employer. Employees have been told that the redundancies are due to contracts ending and Safe Air not being able to compete for international contracts due to the high dollar.

“Kiwi manufacturing is in deep trouble and the Key Government refuses to even acknowledge the problem, let alone do anything about it,” said Dr Norman.

“Blenheim has lost a major employer because the Key Government has left manufacturers like Safe Air to wither. National’s high dollar policy is killing jobs in New Zealand.

“The 84 job losses at Safe Air add to the toll of 40,000 manufacturing jobs lost in this country since 2008. We need these high-skill, well-paying jobs; we can’t all be minimum wage workers at John Key’s casino.

“The Green Party plan is to back smart, green manufacturing with policies to bring the dollar down to a fair level, increase innovation, and ensure that New Zealand’s government contract with New Zealand companies whenever possible.

Next Monday, Dr Norman and other party leaders will launch the report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Manufacturing, entitled Manufacturing: the New Consensus, A Blueprint for Better Jobs and High Wages.

“The report will show that there are urgent and practical measures that the Government can and should take told ensure we create more of the jobs that New Zealand needs, rather than losing them as we did today,” said Dr Norman.

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