Thompson: 'it's a crisis' - EMA

EMA CEO Alasdair Thompson. Photo / Campbell Live

The Employers and Manufacturers' Association (EMA) today refused to confirm reports that chief executive Alasdair Thompson will resign today.

The association met this morning to discuss a way through the "crisis" resulting from Mr Thompson's controversial comments last week that women were paid less because they took sick days when they had their period.

EMA communications manager Gilbert Peterson said he could not confirm the reports that Mr Thompson was going to resign but said the association met this morning to discuss how the EMA was going to continue to function.

"It [the meeting] was about...how EMA is going to run and what we are going do to make it work in this interim period of what for us is a bit of a crisis...it's more than a bit of a crisis, it's a crisis."

The board cancelled a meeting on Mr Thompson's future yesterday and said a decision would be made within a a week.

But last night board member Laurie Margrain said he expected an answer within 24 hours.

Two apologies from Mr Thompson have failed to quell the furore over his remarks, particularly as he was unable to back up his claims with facts.

- NZPA