1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: What does it, I mean, think about it. What does 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: it say about a country when the price of doing 3 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: business becomes so high you can't do business anymore? The 4 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: price of power is up hundreds of percent as a result. 5 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:12,719 Speaker 1: This week we've seen two businesses looking at closing up. 6 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: OG Fiber Solutions closing their Auckland paper recycling plant, and 7 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 1: in the RUPA who district told you this a couple 8 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 1: of days ago, Winstone are up for at least a 9 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: couple of weeks both their mills. The first union spokesperson, 10 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: Justin Wallace's, was with us on this justin morning. 11 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:32,239 Speaker 2: Is this morning it has I mean the members when 12 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 2: they had the meeting the other morning, they sort of caught. 13 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: They were sort of had wind that something might be 14 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 2: up because there was some emails going around about some 15 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 2: cost saving measures that were happening on site. But being 16 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 2: told on the morning that there's a potential closure definitely 17 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 2: hit them hard. 18 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: When you say on site, do you represent OG or 19 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: the RuPay who people are both? 20 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 2: No, No, we represent the OG plant as well as 21 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 2: it two the other union who represent on that site too. 22 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: See the OG seem to have how much of the 23 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: story is purely the power price they can't afford it, 24 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: versus the business might not be as good as the 25 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: one wherever it is in Malaysia that can take over 26 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: from them. 27 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,639 Speaker 2: Like, the ironic thing about this is that this plant 28 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 2: takes a lot of recycled paper from Auckland and other 29 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 2: parts of the country and turn it into pop and 30 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 2: turn it into paper. Right. The ironic thing about this 31 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 2: is that this place has to close because they can't 32 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 2: tap into reasonable costs, reasonable cost pricing for power of 33 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 2: another renewable resource. So we've got a situation here where 34 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 2: a recycled plant is having to close because they can't 35 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 2: get enough power at the right price to be able 36 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 2: to operate. 37 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: Is so you're telling me it's a going concern. It's 38 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: a proper business. This is not just an excuse. I mean, 39 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: there's no excuse for the price of power. 40 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 2: I get that. 41 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: But this is not a business that was sort of 42 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: falling over or struggling anyway. 43 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 2: No. Well, I mean, you know it had a renewable resource, right, 44 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 2: it was tapped into the recycling sector like most others. 45 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 2: So yes, okay, it had its operation where she's like 46 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 2: most of the businesses have been dealing since you know, 47 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 2: pre and after COVID. I mean, we're not making excuses 48 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 2: on that, but when the members are told that, you know, 49 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 2: it's the cost of running is so high now because 50 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 2: of the power prices that they're having to shut down. 51 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 2: You know, that was one of the major factors for 52 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,239 Speaker 2: that decision. Now we're going through a process of consultation. 53 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: There may be an endgame out of it. I hear 54 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 2: that there's been some discussions in central government. I hear that, 55 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 2: you know, people are talking about this, which is great. 56 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 2: But the concerning part about this, Mike, is it's not 57 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 2: just the seventy five childs. It's seventy five families, you know. Yeah, 58 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 2: I mean I. 59 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: Get to see the problem is that. I mean, I 60 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: don't know what the solution is. The government looking at 61 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: bringing an L and G and they might have to 62 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: do that, or will burn some more coal or something 63 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: like that. But you can't have a scenario where a business, 64 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: a viable business, can't do business because somebody else has 65 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: buggered the economy. 66 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, But the thing the other point about it too 67 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 2: much because it's successive governments. Right, I'm not here to 68 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 2: point the finger at anyone in some respects, But the 69 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 2: concerning part is is that this will be potentially the endgame. 70 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 2: We'll be sending product overseas to be milled and then 71 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 2: brought back in at a cheaper rate. But what will 72 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 2: happen is, in the case of this plant is seventy 73 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 2: five families will have a bread owner who won't have 74 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 2: a job. And they're talking about people trying to work. 75 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 2: They're talking about helping working class and working people in 76 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 2: New Zealand. Well, we need to start protecting the manufacturing 77 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 2: and people's jobs. Like I said the other day, we 78 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 2: can argue as much as we like about how many 79 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 2: row cones are on the road, but we should be 80 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 2: making sure that people have jobs. 81 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: I tend to agree with you. 82 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 2: Justin. 83 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: Nice to talk to you, appreciate it. Justin Wallace Worth's 84 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: union organizer. 85 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 86 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 2: news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 87 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.