Freespirit severs "slavery" link

Months of union pressure have convinced the WA "slave labour" 
rort company, Freespirit, to cut ties with programs organised by 
the State's powerful Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIWA). 
"Freespirit will not get involved with any of these programs 
again", pledged the company's managing director, blaming the 
CCIWA for its involvement.

The decision followed Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union 
(AMWU) revelations that 29 skilled tradesmen had been imported 
from South Africa and paid effective rates as low as $8.60 an 
hour.

The pipe fitters, welders and boilermakers walked off sites 
around WA two months ago to protest against their treatment.

One boilermaker said he was earning $13 an hour at Port Hedland, 
after deductions, alongside Australians on $44 an hour.

He likened his situation to "slavery".

The AMWU has been urging Freespirit to cease "exploitation" which 
Secretary Jock Ferguson said "undermined every agreement and 
every worker in Australia".

Freespirit managing director Paul Rigby signalled his agreement, 
through public relations agency RHK, as lawyers for the labour 
hire outfit granted the union access to wage records.

But neither Rigby, nor anyone else from Freespirit, was available 
to answer claims that their press release was so full of 
inaccuracies it cast doubt on the company's real motivation.

AMWU organiser Steve McCartney took issue with Freespirit's 
assertion that the "company had attempted to be open and 
negotiate in good faith ..."

The truth, Mr McCartney said, was that for more than a month 
Freespirit refused to negotiate at all. It hired a law firm and a 
spin doctor and conducted all discussions through those agencies. 
It categorically refused to deal with the South Africans as a 
group.

As for the company's claim that "An audit has been conducted 
which found that the company had done nothing wrong", McCartney 
said an internal examination resulted in Freespirit offering 
individuals settlements of between $900 and $4000 a head. It 
subsequently demanded that every South African sign a new 
contract seeking to indemnify Freespirit from any action arising 
from their employment in Australia.

"A number of tradesmen have been offered jobs with other people 
in Australia but none of them want to leave us — so we can't be 
doing too much wrong", claimed Rigby.

Steve McCartney said South Africans are hamstrung by immigration 
regulations that prevent them working for a minimum of 28 days 
while alternative sponsorships are processed. Even so, at least 
two of their number — Ronald Oliveira and Ian Potzeiter — have 
already accepted alternative sponsorships.

"Mr Rigby said Freespirit would honour all its obligations to the 
South African tradesmen ..."

The South Africans said they were promised their wives and 
children would be able to join them once they began employment in 
Australia. Mr McCartney said Freespirit is now tying applications 
for family visas to signing new contracts, including indemnities, 
with a wholly- owned Freespirit subsidiary.

No one from Freespirit, including Rigby, would comment on the 
statement.