The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union says National and ACT's new Productivity Commission must include worker participation if it is to be taken seriously.

The commission was announced today and will be headed by up to four part-time commissioners.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union is consulting with Christchurch-based manufacturer General Cable after the American-owned company announced it plans to lay off nearly a third of its workforce.

The Government must ensure its review of fair dismissal laws is based on evidence and is not simply an excuse to strip away rights to natural justice, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

Employees in some occupations have higher standards imposed on them than those imposed on the general population. Those higher standards are required because of the particular potential for harm associated with particular occupations.

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Tau Henare's private member's bill on secret ballots for strikes is a pointless attempt to regulate for a practice that is already standard procedure, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

Wellington, Feb 23 NZPA - Air Nelson today appealed a ruling that would prevent employers from roping in replacement workers during a strike.

It was the first hearing to take place in the new Supreme Court building in Wellington.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union will be defending the rights of striking workers in the Supreme Court tomorrow after Air New Zealand subsidiary Air Nelson won the right to challenge a Court of Appeal decision.

The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union hopes to broaden the debate about the role of journalism in New Zealand with the launch of Australia's leading media magazine, The Walkley, in Wellington this evening and in Auckland tomorrow evening.

Broadcasting Minister Jonathon Coleman's attack on Radio New Zealand's funding and his threats to sack the board are unacceptable political interference in an institution vital to New Zealand's democracy, say the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union and the Public Service Association.