News Article

AMWU workers petition for oppn to support car industry

31/01/2012 -

The automotive industry is under significant pressure and the federal coalition needs to provide workers and investors with certainty, rather than removing half a billion dollars of funding, the manufacturing union says.

- Belinda Merhab

Hundreds of workers on Monday signed an Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU) petition that will be presented to members of parliament in Canberra next week, calling for bipartisan support of the automotive industry.

It calls on the opposition to abandon its plan to cut $500 million in assistance from the industry.

"This policy would not just sacrifice the car industry," the petition says, "it would decimate Australian manufacturing.

"A sustainable car manufacturing industry must be a partnership between car companies, workers and their unions, and all sides of politics, giving the industry the confidence to make the right long-term investments."

AMWU national secretary Dave Oliver said the petition would be distributed across the country, to the 200,000 people employed directly and indirectly within the automotive industry.

"If the government of the day walks away from providing support to the automotive industry, we will have dire consequences," Oliver told reporters in Melbourne.

"What we need now is certainty for future investment decisions.

"These decisions are taken four or five years in advance.

"That's why it's important that the coalition stand up and indicate that they will maintain continual support for this important industry."

Oliver said he was seeking a meeting with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in Canberra next week.

"Tony Abbott has spent the last 12 months with his fluoro jacket and his hard hat, running around the country in manufacturing workshops, purporting to represent the interests of manufacturing workers in this country," Oliver said.

"Tony Abbott has now got a chance to put his money where his mouth is."

But opposition industry spokeswoman Sophie Mirabella said she had invited Oliver to meet with her last week, and still had not heard back.

And the union had not participated in the coalition's industry policy review process last year, which called for stakeholder input and canvassed a wide variety of suggestions for future industry policies.

"Unfortunately, the AMWU never sought to be involved and has instead conveniently waited until after that process was completed to not only make false assertions, but then demand specific responses to them," Mirabella said in a statement.

"If he had sought to meet with us in person, then Oliver would better understand the coalition's approach and not misrepresent it to his members in such a regrettable way."

She said Oliver's statements on Monday smelled more like a stunt than genuine concern.

"When Australian manufacturing is in the midst of its greatest crisis since the Great Depression, it is regrettable that Oliver seems to prefer deceitful `push polling' to constructive representation of his members," she said.

Source: AAP NewsWire

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Have your say...

dave d | 31/01/2012 9:19:43 AM

Well this is a real classic - Julias mob props the steel maker up so it can bear a Carbon Tax - then kills off a car industry that uses - YES GUESS WHAT -STEEL !!!!!! What a bunch of clowns !!! If it wasn't so frightening that we have this mob running the country - this coud actually be seen as FUNNY !!

Colin of Victor | 31/01/2012 10:56:30 AM

dave d, get your facts in order, it is the opposition who is withdrawing support for the car industry not Julia's Mob, careful mate the clown title may stick to you

dave d | 31/01/2012 9:34:03 PM

Colin, my facts are straight -if you believe that this bunch of clowns will solve the car industry problems by throwing taxpayers hard earned money at it as they do with everything -you truly have been Robin Hood Winked and YES it will kill the industry

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