Gina's 'offer' an opportunity for NSW miners: union body

15/06/2012 - An offer from mining magnate Gina Rinehart to consider recruiting retrenched workers from the NSW Illawarra is an opportunity for young miners, a union body says.

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Yet it would be preferable for Illawarra workers to remain in the region, secretary of the South Coast Labour Council Arthur Rorris says.

Rinehart has reportedly offered to consider employing south coast workers in her WA mine after receiving a letter from local federal member Stephen Jones, who is concerned about the Roy Hill project importing foreign labour.

"We welcome the opportunity for workers to use their skills and find employment but in an ideal world we would prefer our workers to develop their skills and be employed in our region," Rorris told reporters.

He said the fly-in-fly-out nature of the WA work wouldn't suit everyone but it did represent an opportunity for younger workers.

However, he said unions were concerned after hearing reports from members that some of the most experienced workers had been rejected from advertised jobs in Western Australia.

"We're very concerned that people have been knocked back from jobs without any reason," Rorris said.

"It goes against the prevailing reason that they are hungry for workers and that they want to import workers from overseas."

Source: AAP

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Have your say...

alan | 15/06/2012 10:57 1

Is that the same evil Ghina that Swan Gillard and co were bagging a few weeks ago, you know the one, the one who actually creates jobs and employes a lot of people unlike anyone in the Labor party who have never employed anyone in their lives.

dave d | 15/06/2012 16:14 2

Well that's what happens when you're a tall poppy like Gina - everyone in the labor government and their mafia (unions)will try and drag you down to their despicable level .Gina's damned if she does or damned if she doesn't because Ju-liar didn't think of it and can't use it to buy votes .

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