Big business asks for more

Date: 24 October 2007

Jeff Lawrence ACTU Sec

The ACTU has called on the Federal Government to respond to comments by billionaire retailer Gerry Harvey, who said employers should be able to bring in more workers from overseas and pay them only half the wages local workers receive.

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"The Howard Government already backed big business and introduced Work Choices without telling voters at the last election, now we have CEOs leaning on the Federal Government to go further."

"These latest comments prove that as far as big business is concerned, the Federal Government has not gone far enough in workplace reform," he said.

Mr Harvey said on the weekend that Australia needed a two-tier wage system to allow employers to pay foreign guest workers half the wages that locals receive.

Mr Harvey also hinted that Liberal parliamentarians were already considering the plan, saying 'You won't get politicians saying what I'm saying, but privately they know this sort of thing is a reality in the future.' (Sunday Telegraph 21/10/07)

And last week the National Farmers' Federation released its election policy which calls on a re-elected Coalition Government to scrap the 'fairness test' altogether and introduce a US-style minimum wages system in Australia.

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"One hundred per cent of the Liberal front bench voted in favour of Work Choices.

"Not one Howard Government Minister voiced concern about how these laws would impact workers, about whether they would strip conditions, reduce wages or force workers onto individual contracts."

For further information

Contact:	Lidija Ivansovski
Union:	ACTU
Contact Mobile:	0432 121 636
WWW:	http://www.actu.asn.au/

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