People
are a priority for Labour.
This
week, I went on a bit of a road trip in the South Island.
It
started on the West Coast, talking to Spring Creek miners and their families
about the impact of job losses on their lives and their community. Their
response was grim. Some may end up losing their home. They can’t find new jobs
and are worried they’ll have to leave the Coast. They blame the Government and
Solid Energy for making false promises about how secure their future was at the
mine.
Their
stories are heart-breaking and I really appreciate their willingness to share
their personal fears with me. We’ll be bringing you more details about this
soon. They need our support and Labour will stand alongside them.
I
also spent a day in Blenheim and heard concerns that what’s happening to
education in Canterbury is just the beginning of an agenda that this Government
will roll out nationwide.
The
message I’m getting from communities as I travel around the country is that
people aren’t a priority under this Government. We’ve seen new evidence of that
with the decision to remove protections for low-income workers. Part 6A of the
Employment Relations Act gives thousands of workers the right to keep their jobs
and the same pay and conditions if the business they work for is sold. That’ll
be gone under National.
National
is driving down wages and taking this country into decline. I have a very
different vision for NZ. We need to change. We need to build wealth on the back
of innovation and hard work so everyone benefits. That’s the way of the future
under Labour.
Warm
regards,
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