We’re all agreed on the need to create and retain jobs for NZ workers. Now here’s a very direct way we can.

KiwiRail needs to spend $500 million on new trains for Auckland.

The expertise and equipment needed to undertake this work exists in New Zealand rail workshops in Dunedin and Lower Hutt. New Zealand is competitive internationally in this work.

NZ rail workers are skilled, experienced, and want to do this work.

And the economic case backs us up. Economics consultancy BERL has estimated that building these trains at home would add between 770 to 1270 additional jobs and $232 to $250 million to GDP.

So from both a job creation point of view, and wider benefits to the New Zealand economy, there is a strong case to build these trains in New Zealand.

We want KiwiRail and the government to back Kiwi workers, and make sure our trains are built at home.

Help us make sure there is NZ work for NZ workers in our rail industry.

PRESS RELEASES -

Hillside Workers Down Tools, Express ‘No Confidence’ in Their Bosses and Call on CEO Jim Quinn to ‘Step In’

Media Release: Rail & Maritime Transport Union

Wednesday 16 November, 2011

Angry Rail & Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) members downed tools this morning for a stop work meeting that has passed a motion of no confidence in Hillside site manager Andy Bisset and KiwiRail Workshops Manager Clive Cooper-Smith.

The meeting comes four months after 44 jobs were slashed at the South Dunedin Railway Workshops.

‘The 110 workers that survived the job cull are being offered at least 10 hours overtime per week, we estimate that about 30% of the labour on the projects that are being worked on is  being outsourced and there are around a dozen outside contractors actually working alongside our members in the factory,’ said RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson.

Click Here for Full Media Release

Parliament can’t ignore 14,000 people’s views on local rail jobs

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Thursday 8th September 2011.

The Rail and Maritime Transport Union says Parliament cannot ignore the concerns of 14,000 people who want to keep rail manufacturing jobs in New Zealand.

The union has written to Transport and Industrial Relations Committee, which met yesterday, asking to give evidence before it in relation to the petition signed by 14,000 people calling on the government to commit to building rolling stock in New Zealand workshops.

Meanwhile, earlier yesterday it was revealed that KiwiRail’s supplier in China had under-delivered on a major Australian order, forcing Downer EDI to spend significant amounts of time fixing problems with the trains.

Click here for Full Media Release

13,854 Kiwis want to save Hillside and Hutt rail workshops

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Tuesday August 9th 2011.

Lower Hutt rail workers whose jobs are at risk say the government needs to listen to the 12,000 people have signed a petition calling for trains to be made at home.

The workers’ petition was presented to Dunedin South MP Clare Curran at Parliament a short time ago by workers from Hillside and Hutt rail Workshops. Clare Curran was flanked at Parliament by Green Party Transport Spokesperson Gareth Hughes

“Up to 30 positions at Lower Hutt’s workshop are now at risk. This follows the redundancies of 44 Dunedin workers last month, both a result of KiwiRail purchasing rail rolling stock and electric units overseas” said Wayne Butson.

Click here for Full Media Release

Procurement policy must support jobs

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Tuesday July 21st 2011,

The rail workers’ union says a government procurement policy that supports jobs is urgently needed, and welcomed Labour’s moves in this direction.

“KiwiRail’s decision to not bid for either the $500 million contract for Auckland’s new trains, or for the 300 flat top wagons, was resoundingly rejected by workers, business leaders, the city council and others as taking a very short-sighted view of procurement,” RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson said.

Click here for Full Media Release

Govt happy to talk Hobbits, but not trains

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Tuesday July 20th 2011,

New Zealand’s unwillingness to back rail manufacturing is out of step with two recent developments in similar countries overseas, the union for rail workers says.

Last week KiwiRail confirmed redundancies at Hillside workshop in Dunedin, a result of the SOE purchasing rolling stock and electric units overseas, rather than having them made locally.

RMTU General Secretary Wayne Butson said that the New Zealand situation contrasted with recent developments in Australia and South Africa.

Click here for Full Media Release

Union- KiwiRail Talks Back On Track, Public Rally Still On

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Tuesday June 28th 2011,

The RMTU met with KiwiRail management today to discuss proposed 40 job losses at Hillside Railway workshops in South Dunedin. Whilst the talks were generally constructive, the RMTU is clear that we have to maintain the pressure on the Government to save these jobs and the future of the workshops.

‘We’ve called a rally in Dunedin on Saturday 9 July to send a message to the Minister that his Government, as the shareholder of KiwiRail, has a responsibility to these workers and to Dunedin’, said RMTU Organiser John Kerr.

Click here for Full Media Release

Joyce creates jobs overseas by selling out NZ workers

Media Release: Greens

Thursday June 9th 2011

Steven Joyce must take the blame for another 41 Kiwis being put out of work by this Government’s policies, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said today.

The Government gave KiwiRail $500 million dollars to build 38 new carriages for Auckland's electrified rail network.  KiwiRail, with ministerial approval, tendered the contract overseas despite a strong economic case for building the carriages in New Zealand prepared by Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL).

“This contract should have gone to the workshops in Hillside in Dunedin and Woburn in the Hutt Valley,” said Mrs Turei.

Click Here for the Full Media Release

Misjudgement costs Kiwis jobs

Media Release: Labour

Thursday June 9th 2011

The forty one jobs lost at KiwiRail’s Dunedin Hillside workshops today illustrate the real-life effects of  government procurement policy, says Labour’s Economic Development spokesperson David Parker and Labour MP for Dunedin South Clare Curran.

“Transport Minister Steven Joyce claimed jobs were not at risk. Today’s layoffs provide  the harsh proof of his misjudgement,” David Parker said.

The Hillside workshop is the repository of significant engineering expertise for New Zealand, and one of the largest employers in Dunedin.

Click here for Full Media Release

KiwiRail job losses could have been avoided – union

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Thursday June 9th 2011, 1pm

Proposed KiwiRail job losses in Dunedin could have been avoided if the government and KiwiRail had made sure major rail manufacturing projects were carried out by New Zealand rail workers, their union said.

KiwiRail will today announce to workers a proposal to cut 41 jobs at its Hillside workshop in South Dunedin.  Workers have until 1 July to comment on the proposal.

“The Transport Minister needs to front up and take responsibility for these proposed job losses.  Inaction from Steven Joyce and KiwiRail has lead to this situation,” Rail and Maritime Transport Union General Secretary Wayne Butson said.

Click Here for Full Media Release

Manufacturing decline in Otago shows need to back Hillside

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Thursday 12 May 2011

Declining manufacturing in the Otago region should be a wakeup call to the government to
support the local rail manufacturing and associated engineering industries, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union said today.

Click here for Full Media Release

KiwiRail must enforce local content provision in shortlist

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Thursday 21 April 2011

Rail workers are today calling for a firm commitment from KiwiRail that it will rigorously enforce local content provisions it placed in tender documents for the construction of Auckland’s new trains.

Late yesterday KiwiRail announced the two shortlisted firms for the $500 million job to build 38 three-car electric multiple units and 13 locomotives for the Auckland rail network.

Last May, Chambers of Commerce, local government and unions commissioned a report setting out the economic benefits of building the trains in the Dunedin and Lower Hutt workshops.  BERL’s report estimated a local build would have added between 770 to 1270 additional jobs, $232 to $250 million to GDP and an increase in crown revenue by a net $65 million to $70 million.

Click here for full Media Release

Government leadership lacking on KiwiRail

Media release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Wednesday 14 April 2011

Rail manufacturing workers say KiwiRail procurement decisions are too important to the local economy for the Transport Minister and Prime Minister to wash their hands of them.

An announcement from KiwiRail’s on the successful bidder for the $500 million purchase of 38 three-car electric multiple units and 13 locomotives for the Auckland rail network is very close, it was noted in Parliament’s Question Time yesterday.

Click here for Full Media Release

SOE overlooking local workers for loco engineering jobs

Media Release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Wednesday February 9, 2011

An Auckland railway worker says that KiwiRail should focus more on up-skilling local workers rather than recruiting overseas for their engineering jobs.

Bernie Henare, chairperson of the Auckland Rail Branch of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, said KiwiRail was too focused on overseas recruitment for upcoming locomotive engineering jobs in Auckland.

“Why is KiwiRail going overseas to recruit workers when we have plenty of willing Kiwi workers here to choose from,” he said.

Click here for Full Media Release

KiwiRail must honour commitment for local content

Media Release: Rail and Maritime Transport Union

Thursday January 20, 2011

KiwiRail must honour the local content provisions it put in tender documents for the construction of Auckland’s new trains, rail workers say.

 Tenders close this week for the $500 million job to build 38 three-car electric multiple units and 13 locomotives for the Auckland rail network.   KiwiRail’s May 2010 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.”

Click here for full media release

DOWNLOAD THE PETITION

Petition (Clare Curran Dunedin South Labour MP)

DOWNLOAD THE POSTERS

Hillside Poster - Landscape (2912 kb)
Hillside Posters - Portrait (3038 kb)
Hutt Posters - Landscape (1427 kb)
Hutt Posters - Portrait (676 kb)

DOWNLOAD THE CAMPAIGN LOGO'S

Logo 1 (679 kb)
Logo 2 (951 kb)

DOWNLOAD THE BERL STUDY

BERL Report - Economic benefits of building rolling stock in New_Zealand (409 kb)

WATCH tV STORIES:

Channel 9 Dunedin Television - RMTU call for more proactive approach from KiwiRail

June 8th 2010 - 6.35pm

Click here for full story and video

TVNZ ONE News - Call for rail stock to be made in NZ
Published: 6:15AM Monday May 03, 2010
[Click image below to view]

TVNZ Close Up - Get Kiwis to do the locomotion
Published: 8:04PM Monday May 03, 2010
[Click image below to view]

TV3 - Govt rejects call to build KiwiRail trains in NZ
Published: Mon, 03 May 2010 5:43p.m
[Click image below to view]

TV3 - KiwiRail urged to build own trains
Published: Mon, 03 May 2010 6:43a.m
[Click image below to view]