Overseas Worker Scheme 'Out Of Control'

15 February 2006 - The ACTU has pointed to bread chain Brumby's seeking to bring 20 Vietnamese bakers to Australia as an example of the Federal Government's overseas worker program being out of control.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:

"Unions are not convinced that the Government and employers are trying hard enough to make sure that job vacancies are filled by local people first.

"Almost daily there are new examples coming to light of employers being issued visas by the Government to bring in temporary workers from overseas to do jobs that could be filled by Australian workers.

"Parents tell us time and time again that they cannot find an opening for a trades apprenticeship for their young son or daughter and yet the Government seems to be allowing any employer who asks to bring in temporary workers from overseas - many of whom are exploited with low pay and poor employment conditions.

"The Government needs to answer the following important questions about its overseas worker program:

• How many temporary worker or business visas are being issued by the Government?
• What steps have employers taken to demonstrate that local workers are not available?
• What wages and employment conditions are used to assess whether overseas workers are not being exploited and are not undermining the pay and entitlements of local workers?
• What checks are the Government making about the qualifications of the sponsored workers?
• What access do temporary workers have to independent help from unions and other agencies to ensure they are being properly paid, have the appropriate qualifications and are aware of the relevant health and safety requirements?
• Who is overseeing the program and ensuring abuses do not occur?"

The ACTU has highlighted several other recent cases which, they claim, involved either abuse of foreign or Australians being denied job opportunities. These include:

• Allegations, currently being investigated by the Immigration Department, that Halliburton (US Vice President Dick Chaney's former company) brought in workers from Indonesia. They are alleged to have been made to work 12 hour shifts for 80 days without a break digging ditches at Halliburton's gas operations in the South Australian desert.
• Philippino workers being 'treated like slaves' in a number of well-known Canberra restaurants, having been 'sold' to their employers for $6000 to $8000. One Philippino said that she was underpaid, worked 'dangerously excessive workloads' and that her employer had refused to give her medical treatment when she suffered third-degree burns.
• 34 Croatian and Slovenian workers had been issued with temporary labour visas to construct a paint shop at Holden's plant at Elizabeth, South Australia, despite the high level of unemployment in that area.

"These overseas 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 temporary worker is paid decent wages and conditions," said Sharan Burrow