Workers fear hot water bottle imports

Press, 2 April 1985, Page 9

Workers fear hot water bottle imports

Importing of Taiwanese hot water bottles could lead to the closing of New Zealand industries and a consequent loss of jobs, says the national president of the Rubber Workers’ Union, Mr Cliff Hanson. A Government decision to let Feltex Industries, Ltd, import 8000 Taiwanese “hotties” has angered the union. Local industry could never compete with the imports, which were being sold for less than the price of importing the raw materials into New Zealand said Mr Hanson. The quality of the Taiwanese product was “very suspect” compared with the New Zealand “hottie,” which was recognised as the best in the world, he said.

“In spite of this, people will buy something that is cheaper and that could lead to the closing of local indus-

try. “Once that happens, the public will be at the mercy of overseas people in terms of both price and quality,” said Mr Hanson. The Skellerup rubber factory in Christchurch had machinery capable of making “an excellent hottie.” This was working at less than a third of capacity. “There is plenty of potential to retain all existing jobs and even employ others,” he said. Auckland rubber workers went on strike for 48 hours last week over the issue, but returned to work yesterday after the company agreed to do a cost feasibility study of locally produced hot water bottles compared with the imports. Mr Hanson said a feasibility study did not mean a thing, because the local product could never be cheaper than the imported one.