CTU media release

24 March 2010

Why isn’t the Government doing more to create jobs for the unemployed instead of sending Paula Bennett out to slash benefits and demonise beneficiaries, asks CTU President Helen Kelly today.” 

“Unemployment has rocketed since this government came to power,” said Kelly. “People have not chosen to go on the dole, the recession has put them there. It is outrageous for the Social Development Minister to act as though every claimant is a feckless bludger when her government is doing next to nothing to create jobs which the vast majority of the unemployed would gladly take up.”

“Where is the investment in more infrastructure projects, skills training to equip the unemployed for new opportunities, further assistance for redundant workers? Kicking people off the dole when there are no decent jobs to go to will not put money back into the economy. It will only drive some people further down a spiral of poverty and helplessness.”

“This is action of intolerable arrogance, waving a big stick at people who are largely powerless to change their situation. It is a shameful attack on the thousands of people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Many of these people are workers who have never been unemployed before and never wanted to be.”

“As well as being completely lacking in any compassion this policy is flawed from an economic perspective. Let’s see more effort to put these people back into meaningful work which will generate spending in the economy and save more businesses from going to the wall. There is a long way to go yet out of this recession and this spiteful policy will do nothing to speed us out of it.”

“With unemployment still not at its peak and forecast to remain high for years, this is the wrong time to be cutting government spending, the wrong time to be forcing more people into the already crowded job queues, the wrong time to be punishing people for being unable to find a non-existent job.”