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Andrew Little, EPMU national secretary
The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU)
says the National Party's latest bid to stop it being
registered to take part in the election campaign is an attempt
to silence workers' voices.
National last month lodged an application for a judicial
review of the Electoral Commission's decision to register the
union as a third party -- organisations which are not
political parties -- so it could take part in the campaign
and spend up to $120,000.
The listing of the registration was due to take effect last
Friday but it has been suspended for two weeks so that the
court can hear the application.
"The issue of work rights and higher wages is shaping up as a
significant one for our members and other working people and
the National Party is doing all it can to shut us out of
public debate on their negative policies," EPMU national
secretary Andrew Little said today.
"The union will not be wasting any more time or resources on
National's legal challenges."
National has previously tried to reverse the commission's
decision to register the union, arguing it is so closely
linked to the Labour Party that it should not be able to
campaign in its own right under the Electoral Finance Act.
