Joyce creates jobs overseas by selling out NZ workers
Thursday 9 June 2011, 1:19PM
By Green Party
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Steven Joyce must take the blame for another 41 Kiwis being put out of work by this Government’s policies, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today.
The Government gave KiwiRail $500 million dollars to build 38 new carriages for Auckland's electrified rail network. KiwiRail, with ministerial approval, tendered the contract overseas despite a strong economic case for building the carriages in New Zealand prepared by Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL).
“This contract should have gone to the workshops in Hillside in Dunedin and Woburn in the Hutt Valley,” said Mrs Turei.
“That would have kept skilled New Zealand workers in jobs - building rail carriages for Auckland public transport in our own backyard seems a no-brainer.
“In Dunedin, the unions, local government, and the chamber of commerce, all supported the project.
“Yet despite all the evidence setting out the economic benefits and social advantages of building these trains here at home, KiwiRail has shortlisted firms from South Korea and Spain to do the job.
“Instead of creating jobs in Dunedin and Lower Hutt, KiwiRail is creating jobs in Seoul and Madrid with the full backing of Mr Joyce,” said Mrs Turei.