Mr Anderton criticises loss of work days

Press, 17 November 1981, Page 29

Mr Anderton criticises loss of work days

PA Nelson Twelve million work days, equivalent to all industrial action since 1950, were lost last year because of the level of unemployment in New Zealand says the Labour Party’s president, Mr J. P. Anderton. “The number, of days lost last year because of industrial action was 382,000—that is not good but it is nothing to the massive loss we are suffering with people out of work,” he told a Labour Party public meeting in Nelson. “You go out and ask people who caused the most loss of work hours last year and they will say ‘it’s the unions,’ said Mr Anderton. “Well it’s not the unions—it’s the Government. The 12 million lost work days it created last year is greater than all industrial . losses since 1950, and that includes the waterfront lockout.” Mr Anderton said Nelson had lost 400 job opportunities since National took office in 1975.

“Your young people are ending up in Auckland looking for jobs. You know we have an blander problem in Auckland — \ South Islanders,” he said. “They are turning up in Auckland looking for jobs then moving off overseas. So far we have lost 150,000—five times the population of Nelson.” Mr Anderton said this figure added to the 72,000 registered unemployed and 70.000 “not' registered or unable to register,” revealed an "extraordinary waste of our greatest resource." He accused the Government of hiding the real level of unemployed calculated in the census. “You can find out how many chickens there are in Kaitaia but you can't find out how many people are out of work. They are incapable of telling us until after the election,” said Mr Anderton.