Some photos from today’s rally for Hillside jobs in Dunedin. (Not quite sure what I was laughing about, or what on earth Pete is doing in the second pic).
More than a thousand people turned out on a bitterly cold Saturday to voice their disgust at the government and Kiwirail’s actions and attitudes in procuring lower quality, cheaper rolling stock from overseas, rather than having it made at home. Keeping skilled workers employed, and an important manufacturing industry sustainable.
The city is united on this issue. The Mayor, the Chamber of Commerce chair, three MPs, the union, Greenpeace and a Green candidate spoke.
My message was essentially that we have to fight for our city. For Dunedin’s future. Because this government won’t. We need these jobs, we needs these skills, we need this industry and it’s economic good sense. I also read out a strong message from Phil Goff.
The government and Kiwirail are telling lies about the cost of Kiwi trains. It’s time they were unmasked.
Our country is not a corporation. And this government can’t decide that parts of our country aren’t worth bothering about because our population base is lower than other parts, and because it’s a Labour town. Dunedin will fight back.
Does National have any MPs in or near Dunedin?
Poor hillside workers
!
!
Shipping off their work is a bleepin disgrace
They do in southland.
National has a list MP who is based in Dunedin, Michael Woodhouse. The last statement I heard from him in an interview on Channel 9 News in Dunedin was that he supports sending the work to China as the economically advantageous option. If he was at the rally on Saturday then he did not address the rest of us.
Are we saying that National wants to smite Dunedin because it’s a Labour electorate? That sounds a little far-fetched.
It’s more than just one city – it’s the entire nation. We’ll all lose out if we lose this necessary skill base.
It’s not though. Sending the work to China has actually caused our economy and wider society considerable damage. We’ve lost all the wider economic and social benefits that would have accrued if we’d built them here and that totals to several million dollars worth.