1000+ Protest Rail Work

 

Over a thousand people attended this afternoon’s Dunedin rally calling for more train building work in New Zealand.

KiwiRail is proposing to cut 70 jobs at workshops in Lower Hutt and Dunedin’s Hillside.

This follows the company’s decision to send both the $500 million rail construction job for the electrification of the Auckland rail network, and the building of 300 new container flat top wagons, to overseas firms.

Speakers from the opposition parties, such as Labour’s Clare Curran, the Dunedin City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, Greenpeace and trade unions spoke during the rally calling on the Government and KiwiRail to keep these jobs in New Zealand.

These photos of the rally courtesy of Paul Allen - thanks Paul. You can see more here

RMTU Acting National Secretary Todd Valster said that the prime minister had said he was in politics to make a difference - ” Now is his opportunity.”

“Is that difference going to be the devastation of the local economy and community or is he going to step up for working families and do the right thing and direct KiwiRail to scrap their proposal to slash 40 jobs at Hillside workshops?  Sometimes the right decision is not the popular decision.

“The irony is that this time the right decision is would be both popular and correct. Stop exporting our jobs overseas. Start investing in New Zealand industries and jobs.”

This afternoon's Rally |@ crumblecromwell yfrog.com/khn1ngvj #hillside

Ironically this comes at the same time as plans by Dunedin City Council to bring trains back to that city’s streets/

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2 Comments

 
  1. Malcolm says:

    Awesome that so many people turned out. Hopefully the government listens, but knowing this particular government, I’m not holding my breath…

  2. KarlHansen says:

    I agree Malcolm, but those who don’t fight have already lost, so lets cheer those fellows.

 

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