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Simon Whipp of the MEAA union - Source: ONE News -
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The fallout from the battle to keep The Hobbit movies in New
Zealand has turned nasty, with some of the union bosses involved
claiming they have received death threats.
They have also been sent abusive emails.
Prime Minister John Key said earlier this week that the actions of the unions had forced Warner Brothers to look at locations for making The Hobbit outside New Zealand.
The government subsequently agreed to give the studio an additional $20 million tax break and change the law so there would be no possibility that contract workers in the film industry could go to court and claim employee rights.
But in the battle to stage the movies, it's claimed death threats have been made against Australian union boss Simon Whipp and the head of New Zealand Actors' Equity, Frances Walsh.
Whipp said he was very surprised by the intensity of the reaction and has laid a complaint with police.
The threats have become so bad, Actors' Equity has hired a guard for its Auckland office.
Actresses Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Robyn Malcolm have also been abused while Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly has also copped her fair share of abuse.
"Some of the messages I've received have been very inappropriate," she said.
Many of the emails are anonymous and unsuitable for publication.
One calls Kelly a bitch and a stupid, stupid little woman, which is fairly standard abuse. But it is written on company email by the general manager of an engineering consultancy with major contracts in the oil industry both in New Zealand and Australia.
"If people want a piece of free union advice it's don't send abusive emails from your workplace," said Kelly.
ONE News today tracked down two of the authors of the emails.
One said that in hindsight it was probably not the smartest of things to do. He is a corporate account manager at a fairly major IT company and ONE News asked him what he said in his email.
"A word beginning with S and then a creature that eats grass and produces milk - you'll probably figure it out for yourself, he replied.
Asked if that meant "stupid cow", he replied: "You have to figure it out for yourself."
Both men said it was their democratic right to express their opinion but apologised to Kelly after she threatened to make their names public.
"I'm prepared to accept those apologies and just leave it at that. I don't want to get people into trouble at work," said Kelly.
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