Workers pay policy price

Another mill closure announced, this time a plywood factory in Tokoroa, and that’s on top of the earlier shutting, of part of the pulp mill there.

Photo: Mike van Schoonderwalt. pexels.com

I cannot imagine how bad that would be to lose your job, your livelihood, at any time, let alone when the economy is not doing that well. The chances of being able to walk into other suitable positions for plywood manufacturing people will I’m sure be tough, so I wish them well, and hope that they can get a reasonable redundancy.

A big question springs to mind though, as from my readings of the situation, Carter Holt, the plant owner, can make the plywood 60 per cent cheaper in Australia.

Richard Steele

Why is nobody asking about that or what is their union’s position here.

A New Zealand plant right next to the forest it needs, with a willing workforce one would assume, can be undercut by Australians.

As I understand it Australia has higher wages than we do, an overall lower cost structure than we do, a better or warmer climate than we do, apparently a more attractive place to be.

So many people are heading over there to revel in the golden country’s riches.

What am I missing here?

How can the Aussies be so much better off than us, and yet they can produce plywood for 60 per cent less than we can?

Similarly, a mill in the Nelson region is closing with amazing loss of jobs, because the owners can better serve their clients from Kawerau.

Really, maybe, except I don’t believe it.

So why are our country’s structures so out of gear? We could be so good here in New Zealand, yet we seem to be lagging so far behind our neighbours, that someone must really be asking why, and to do more than that, to actually come up with some answers.

Equally, what are we doing with our pollsters. According to them, we would vote back a Labour led coalition tomorrow, if an election was held then.

How quickly have those polled forgotten the mess the last lot led us in to.