NZ unions oppose Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in nationwide rallies

A day before rallies in opposition to NZ signing the TPPA take place throughout the country, the IUF affiliated SFWU has warned that the investment treaty threatens thousands of their members’ jobs.

The proposed treaty prohibits preference for public or local provision in Government procurement policies, frustrating aspirations for a living wage and handing power to the corporate masters of competitive pricing.

The SFWU joins other unions under the umbrella of the NZ Council of Trade unions in their outright opposition to the TPPA.

The NZCTU says: “The TPPA contains threats to our health system, our public services and public enterprises, our ability to use government purchasing to develop our economy and improve our environment and working conditions, and our right to make changes to our laws and regulations in the interests of most New Zealanders.

 This model of agreement increases the power of international corporations and reduces the power of elected governments and their citizens to resist corporate demands”