Northland businesses will be hard hit by proposed changes to transmission line charges but whether that leads to job losses is not certain, the Employers and Manufacturers Association says.
The association was reacting to warning by a leading union that hundreds of jobs in Northland mills would be at risk if proposed changes went through.
E tu, a merger of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturers Union and the Food and Service Workers' Union, has more than 1000 members in well-paid jobs at various workplaces in Northland.
The Electricity Authority's proposed "area of benefit" charge seeks to alter the way transmission charges are shared among power users so charges are linked to, among other things, costs involved.
The authority estimates residential customers in Whangarei could be charged up to an additional $64 a year and Far North residents an extra $87.