Labour Notes
Prime Minister John Howard has not surprisingly supported an Access Economics report into labour market deregulation advocating the slashing of the Australian minimum wage to US levels. The report urges a reduction from the present Australian minimum wage level of $12.30 per hour to $7.30 per hour. NSW Labor Council Assistant Secretary Mark Lennon has responded, noting that the report's claim that lowering the minimum wage would reduce unemployment is nonsense. "If people are struggling on $12.30 an hour, how would they survive on $7.30 an hour?" Mr Lennon said. Economic integration with the US under the US- Australia FTA means "harmonisation" to the lowest common denominator for workers.* * * Australian workers will be forced to compete for jobs with workers earning as little as $4.60 per day under the free trade agreement signed with Thailand, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) has warned. AMWU National Secretary Doug Cameron said the agreement totally ignored Australian workers' rights by failing to consider core labour standards. "How can Mr Howard expect Australian workers to compete with workers from a country with effectively no labour rights at all? "This agreement shows how Free Trade Agreements may be good for global businesses trying to cut costs, but are a real threat to the security of Australian workers."* * * Workers at Forgecast's metal parts factory in Melbourne are concerned that they may not be paid their full entitlements since the company went into receivership last month. The company is now in the hands of administrators and, according to the administrators, the workers will be paid all holiday and sick leave entitlements. But the payment of redundancy entitlements in excess of the Howard Government's redundancy scheme's maximum of eight weeks is in doubt. Many of the Foregast workers are long standing employees and are entitled to a lot more than the inadequate Commonwealth scheme allows. The workers are at a further disadvantage, as the Howard Government has not legislated that workers be paid ahead of the banks or other major creditors. Foregast is believed to owe the National Australia Bank more than $2 million. This situation once again demonstrates the failure of the Howard Government's redundancy scheme and its unwillingness to protect workers.* * * NSW firefighters have reaffirmed its opposition to the use of recycled water for firefighting, except as a last resort to protect life. A ban was placed on the use of recycled water (effluent) in October 2003 until such time as it could be establkshed that it would not pose an increased risk to firefighters or other members of the community. "Nothing has happened since to change our opposition to the Department's expectation that firefighters should work with — and cover themselves in — other peoples' sewerage", said the Firefighters' Union in response to the publication of new Orders Friday last week attempting to impose the use of recycled water on the back of Sydney's growing water shortage crisis. "Drought or no drought, the Union will not allow its members to be used by the Carr Government as water conservation guinea pigs."