Unions warn free trade deals bad for NZ

Ross Wilson has concerns about trade links. Picture / Mark Mitchell

The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) says manufacturing in New Zealand is being put at risk from trade deals being negotiated by the Government.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has just concluded a meeting of Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) in Laos where she has initiated a number of trade negotiations with Asian countries including Thailand, China, Singapore and Chile.

More than 50 per cent of New Zealand's exports to Thailand will see all tariffs dropped from July next year under a free trade agreement announced today.

Helen Clark New Zealand needed the deal as Thailand has already concluded a free trade agreement with Australia and is in negotiations with the United States and Japan.

She said: "It is important that we have secured our own agreement in order to ensure that New Zealand exporters are not disadvantaged."

But CTU president Ross Wilson warned today there was a risk that these deals would permanently damage New Zealand's manufacturing base.

"There is also a risk that the phased elimination of tariffs will expose some sectors such as whiteware and clothing to unfair competition," he said in a statement.

Mr Wilson was also critical of negotiating with countries with poor human rights records.

"Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) has a shocking record on human rights and has been condemned by the International Labour Organisation.

"The CTU has highlighted to the Government numerous incidents of forced labour, assassination of union leaders and gross exploitation of workers."

- NZPA