Subscribe to RSSRail Union Wants Look In
The rail union is calling on KiwiRail to “honour the local content provisions it put in tender documents for the construction of Auckland’s new electric multiple units.”
KiwiRail has a short list of four potential suppliers to build the trains, following an expression of interest process in May.
The union says that KiwiRail’s tender document encouraged firms to ally themselves with New Zealand subcontractors or suppliers and “include as much New Zealand content and resources in the design, construction, delivery, testing, maintenance and support of the EMUs as is appropriate.”
“Rail workers are gutted that the trains are not being built in New Zealand, despite the capacity existing at Hillside and Woburn workshops, and a comprehensive economic case backing a local build,” said Wayne Butson, General Secretary of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union. “But local content provisions in the tender documents were the next logical step.”
“It is essential that KiwiRail implements its local content recommendations rigorously when it reviews tenders.”
“Ultimately political change is needed to ensure this does not happen again. We are hopeful for a good response in Parliament to Clare Curran’s Kiwi Jobs Bill, to make it clear for crown entities like KiwiRail that buying local must always be the first option where possible,” Wayne Butson said.
6 Comments
At the risk of repeating myself, I really think the unions should be putting all this energy into saving the threatened lines to Stratford, Northland, and Gisborne.
That has far more important long-term consequences.
nothing wrong with that they are doing and so we should by NZ Made, or even part made, tested for that matter.
they should be considered, regardless of the final outcome.
we have done some pretty crazy things in the history of making stuff in NZ, where is there to say it can’t be done again?
keeping people employed and having pride in something that is made in NZ… what more could you want?
I agree that local production or assembly in NZ has benefits, but we should put quality first in this case. If the local content can show it has the same or better than overseas quality, then fine.
And I am also happy with weighing the local content in some way in the final decision, but not as the primary, dominant weighing factor. Anybody know if there will be a formal process for that, or is it in the end a matter of judgement by KiwiRail and the politicians to go with bid X over bid Y?
I don’t see why we can’t get the train built by one of these companies and then get them shipped here for us to do the interiors, I think that Hillside did a decent job of the SA set interiors.
karl - i think the main problem is that they were not given the chance to bid.
Knowing Auckland’s luck they’ll have piles of work simply maintaining the EMU’s!