‘Callous bid to coerce M.P.’

Press, 29 June 1982, Page 1

‘Callous bid to coerce M.P.’

PA Wellington The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) last evening responded angrily to the Government announcement that the Clyde project will be closed.

The decision was “a callous attempt to use the workers on the site to try to blackmail one of the National members of Parliament and the general public," he said. “What the Government has said is that it is prepared to close down the project and disperse the workforce for a period of some months, only to have to recall them later when, or if, the legal processes have been completed.

"That is total economic and social non Sense."

He said that the practical options were dear: “The Government must immediately get back to the Planning Tribunal. If it moves swiftly, the process could be well advanced by the time the six weeks are up. "If there is going to be a period of some months before the final decision, then there is ample alternative work in that area, in basic construction, in the building of the new town centre, in irrigation. “The contract must immediately revert to the Ministry of Works. The Government is in no position to sign a binding contract with any private contractor. Most important, it is only the Ministry of Works that can provide for, and manage, a temporary work situation.” Mr Rowling said that the Government was the employer in this situation. The situation had arisen because of years of administrative and planning blunders by the National Government "Now they have two choices?’ Mr Rowling said “They can accept responsibility for those blunders and ensure that the workforce is held together while the muddle is sorted out, or they can sacrifice the workforce, and continue to blunder on, making a disastrous situation even worse.” Mr Rowling said that he would visit the Clyde high dam work site to speak to workers. Labour’s Shadow Minister • of Energy (Mr D. F. Caygill) said yesterday that the Government was keeping the Aramoana aluminium smelter project alive, “simply as a cover for the proposed Clyde high dam.” Mr Caygill said, that the Minister of Energy (Mr Birch) had offered no explanation for the October date of a smelter feasibility study, which was announced yesterday. (Details, page 3).

“But of course that is about the time when the Government might expect to see its Clyde dam empowering bill through Parliament.”