Pay Equity

Bosses need to stop migrant rort: ACTU

By ACTU

The ACTU calls on the Prime Minister to intervene in Australia's immigration program to guarantee that temporary work visas are not being abused by employers importing low-paid foreign workers to fill job vacancies that should be filled by Australians.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow said today:

"There is mounting evidence that the Federal Government's migrant worker system is out of control - leading to both the abuse of foreign workers and Australians being denied job opportunities.

There are stories of workers from Indonesia and the Philippines being underpaid, overworked and abused while working in Australia under these temporary work visas.

Immigration Minister Vanstone admitted yesterday that her Department is currently investigating allegations that US Vice President Dick Chaney's former company Halliburton imported Indonesian workers to dig ditches for its gas extraction operations in the South Australian desert.

Newspaper reports state the Indonesians worked 12 hour shifts for 80 days without a break and were paid little more than they would earn in Indonesia while being housed in poor conditions at a Halliburton work camp in the Cooper Basin late last year. (Adelaide Advertiser 13-14/2/2006)

The case of the Indonesian workers in the SA outback follows other recent examples of abuses of the Government's migration program.

Last week it was reported in the Federal Parliament that foreign workers were being treated like slaves in well-known Canberra restaurants. The workers were recruited from the Philippines and 'sold' to their employers for $6000 to $8000, it was alleged.

One of the workers said she was underpaid, worked 'dangerously excessive workloads' and her employer refused to give her medical treatment when she suffered third-degree burns to her arm. (Canberra Times 9/2/2006)

Also in South Australia, there is the case of 34 Croatian and Slovenian workers who have been issued with temporary labour visas to build a paint shop at Holden's plant at Elizabeth. In a local area that has unemployment of up to 19% in places, how could it be that Holden needed to import these 35 workers?

These migrant worker abuses highlight the ugly side of the Howard Government's deregulated job market. The Prime Minister needs to intervene immediately to first make sure that employers look to fill these jobs with Australians. He then needs to make sure any foreign worker is paid decent wages and conditions.

What job security will anyone have under the Government's new IR laws if people have to compete against cheap imported labour working in unacceptable conditions?" said Ms Burrow.

Jobs for Australian workers are threatened whenever employers fail to properly test the local labour market and instead look to exploit foreign workers. I thought we were facing a shortage of skilled workers - not a shortage of ditch diggers and other unskilled workers," said Ms Burrow.

© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/general/20060214_rort.html
Last Modified: 14 Feb 2006