Employment & Workers’ Rights

Bandt remains concerned after meeting with Qantas CEO

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Wednesday 17th August 2011, 6:48pm
in

Greens MP and industry and workplace relations spokesperson, Adam Bandt, said he remains unconvinced about Qantas' offshoring plans after meeting with Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, today.


Mr Bandt raised his concerns about offshoring of jobs and downward pressure on wages and conditions with Mr Joyce in a meeting at Parliament House today.


Mr Bandt said it was clear the government needed to act to protect airline jobs in the future and that he would urge the government to consider whether the Qantas Sale Act needed amending to prevent offshoring.


"I had a full and frank discussion with Mr Joyce today and I appreciate the time he took to put his case and the way he put it."


"However, I remain unconvinced by his claim that future jobs and wages and conditions won't be threatened by Qantas' plan."


"While Qantas continues to claim its shift to Asia is about expansion and not about offshoring jobs, it is clear that competitive pressures will affect wages and conditions in Australia."


"Qantas' new Asia airline will pay lower wages and will fly into and out of Australia."


"Once it is established, I can see nothing to stop Qantas' new Asia airline from replacing and displacing current Qantas operations over time."


"This situation also throws into question the government's strategy for the continuance of the airline industry in Australia."


"While Qantas has to compete with many airlines that enjoy significant government protection and support, Australia's government is stepping back and watching it's national airline set up shop offshore with lower wages."


Mr Bandt plans to hold further meetings with Qantas to discuss its plans.


 

Qantas spends big but spills jobs

Media Release | Spokesperson Bob Brown
Tuesday 16th August 2011, 6:08pm
in

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today questioned the cost of Qantas’ advertising blitz in the wake of announcing job cuts.

“Qantas is happy to invest large sums in their Australian advertising, but not their Australian workforce,” said Senator Brown.

Bandt moves for inquiry into Reserve bank

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Tuesday 16th August 2011, 5:30pm
in

Greens MP and banking spokesperson Adam Bandt has given notice today of a motion calling on the government to establish an independent inquiry into the RBA banknote bribery scandal.


Mr Bandt said the inquiry should have the powers of a Royal Commission.


"Now more than ever we need to have confidence in the integrity and governance of the Reserve Bank. This inquiry is essential to restore confidence in the RBA."


The motion reads:


MEMBER FOR MELBOURNE: I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move-That this House directs the Prime Minister to establish immediately a full and independent inquiry with:


(1)     powers equivalent to a Royal Commission to investigate the bank note bribery scandal concerning the Reserve Bank of Australia, Securency and Note Printing Australia;


(2)     terms of reference that require it to investigate and report on at least the following matters:


a.      allegations of corruption in securing note printing contracts and payments to overseas agents into offshore tax havens;


b.      what the Reserve Bank of Australia, Austrade and the Australian Government each knew about the alleged behaviour, and when they knew it;


c.      what due diligence was applied and what investigations were conducted into the allegations;


d.      whether there has been appropriate governance by public institutions and companies;


e.      what action has been taken to prevent improper dealings occurring again and whether that action is sufficient;


f.      recommendations regarding future actions that should be taken by government and agencies to prevent similar problems in the future; and


g.      any related matters.

Qantas is losing its spirit: Bandt

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Tuesday 16th August 2011, 12:48pm
in

Greens MP and industry and workplace relations spokesperson Adam Bandt has called on Qantas to explain how many employees it intends to sack following an announcement today by Qantas CEO Allan Joyce that it will be moving investment overseas.

"Qantas claims to be the spirit of Australia, but now it is spiriting Australian jobs offshore," Mr Bandt said.

"Qantas' off-shoring strategy could mean that soon it may be an Australian airline in name only."

"Qantas needs to explain how many of the 1000 employees Mr Joyce referred to today will be forcibly dismissed."

"The Greens want to ensure the rights of 35,000 Australian employees that work with the airline are protected."

"I hold serious concerns that Qantas is attempting to offshore its business by stealth and is looking to increasingly employ its workforce out of Australia on lower wages and worse conditions."

"This is not just an issue of job security. It is also an issue of maintaining Qantas' safety record and ensuring we maintain an Australian air industry."

"I will be raising this issue with Industry and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese and will seek a meeting with the CEO of Qantas."

Bandt welcomes backbench support for firefighter cancer bill

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Monday 4th July 2011, 12:04pm
in

Greens MP and employment and workplace relations spokesperson Adam Bandt has introduced his Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Bill 2011 into the House of Representatives.

Watched by scores of firefighters in the public gallery, Mr Bandt thanked Labor and Coalition backbenchers – Maria Vamvakinou and Russell Broadbent  – for sponsoring the bill.

He also announced that the government has agreed to support a Senate inquiry into the bill.

The bill will mean that if firefighters contract certain types of cancer, it will be presumed to be work-related under Commonwealth law.

“I welcome the support of Maria and Russell for my bill and Bob Katter for seconding it,” Mr Bandt said.

“I am in discussions with the government and I am hopeful that we may achieve complete cross-party support for this important change in workplace law.”

“Firefighters do a dangerous and difficult job for our community, putting their lives at risk.”

"Firefighters start their career in better health than the average person, but after several years on the job they become 5 to 10 times more likely to contract certain kinds of cancer."

“It is not too much to ask that if they contract cancer likely to be caused by their job, then they should be given the support and the rehabilitation they need.”

“If my bill passes, I will work with Greens parliamentarians in other jurisdictions to adopt the same protections for firefighters.”

Greens happy to debate industrial relations: Bandt

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Thursday 30th June 2011, 12:28pm
in

Greens happy to debate industrial relations: Bandt


Greens MP and employment and workplace relations Adam Bandt says that if the Coalition opens up a debate on industrial relations reform, the Greens will be pushing to remove the remnants of the Coalition’s WorkChoices laws, not bring them back.


Mr Bandt says reform of the Fair Work Act is needed, but not in the way Peter Reith and others in the Coalition want. The Greens would want to change the Fair Work Act to give people greater control of their working hours and remove the restrictions on employees’ right to bargain that contravene international law.


“We need less of WorkChoices, not more,” Mr Bandt said today.


“If Peter Reith and now Tony Abbott want to open up a debate on industrial relations reform we say bring it on, because there is unfinished business.”


“We want to kill off the remnants of Work Choices that Labor failed to remove. We want to bring the right to collectively bargain in line with the protections set out in the ILO convention.”


“We would also want new provisions that give working people greater control of their hours of work.”


“The changes to the balance of power in the Parliament mean Mr Abbott’s return to Work Choices could have a rough ride.”

Government must negotiate on equal pay: Bandt

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Tuesday 21st June 2011, 4:18pm
in

Greens MP and employment and workplace relation spokesperson Adam Bandt has called on the Federal Government to negotiate with unions on equal pay for community sector workers.


Questioning the Prime Minister in Parliament today, Mr Bandt warned the government risked having to pay a much larger wages bill by ignoring a direction of Fair Work Australia to negotiate on new wage rates.


"In the 'Equal Pay case' currently before Fair Work Australia, the tribunal has accepted that community sector workers are underpaid on the basis of gender."


"The tribunal has also said that the relevant pay rates to which community workers should be compared are in the local government and public sectors, which are 10 to 15% higher than the original claim made by the union."


"Currently the government is not accepting the Tribunal's direction and putting forward its own wage proposals to the negotiations. Instead it seems the Government will simply stand back and leave it up to others."


"This 'hands off' approach could result in the Commonwealth having to pay a much higher amount - up to $2.5 billion over 4 years - than the union was willing to accept in its original claim."


"I want to see the best deal possible for community sector workers, but if the government wants to claim the fiscal position of the Budget must be considered they cannot and should not avoid direct involvement in negotiations."


"The government needs to take seriously this important wage case and get directly and actively involved in the negotiations."

Social Security Legislation Amendment (Job Seeker Compliance) Bill 2011

Speech | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert
Thursday 16th June 2011, 3:36pm
in

Senator SIEWERT (Western Australia—Australian Greens Whip) (17:55):  The Greens do not support the punitive approaches and policies of the previous government that this government seeks to continue. We believe that such policies attempt to penalise job seekers rather than offering them the vital support needed to overcome the many and complex barriers they face in finding employment. The Social Security Legislation Amendment (Job Seeker Compliance) Bill 2011 that we are debating today does not supply or provide support to these people but rather undermines positive changes made to the system three years ago and drags us back to the ineffective and damaging system that existed in the Howard years.

Bandt to introduce fire fighter compo law

Media Release | Spokesperson Adam Bandt MP
Thursday 16th June 2011, 11:34am
in

Greens MP and employment and workplace relations spokesperson Adam Bandt will introduce a new bill into Federal Parliament to support firefighters who contract cancer.


Mr Bandt's Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment (Fair Protection for Firefighters) Bill 2011 will mean that if firefighters contract certain types of cancer, it will be presumed to be work-related under Commonwealth law.


"Firefighters start their career in better health than the average person, but after several years on the job they become 5 to 10 times more likely to contract certain kinds of cancer" Mr Bandt said.


 "Plastics are present in almost every house or building fire. When plastics burn, they produce cancer-causing smoke, which seeps through firefighters' uniforms and gets absorbed in their bodies.


"International studies have shown beyond doubt that this toxic cocktail of chemicals and smoke puts firefighters at a very high risk of cancer."


"In New Zealand, firefighters were found to have up to 10 times the risk of testicular cancer compared with the general population. Firefighters can end up with 2 to 3 times the risk of a smoker of contracting lung cancer."


 "In the United States and Canada, legislation provides that if a firefighter contracts certain kinds of cancer, it is presumed to be work-related so that they can more easily access workers' compensation. It's time for Australia to do the same."


"I hope all Parliamentarians will get behind this important reform that will give a fair go to firefighters who take risks everyday for all of us."


"I hope similar legislation can be implemented in the states and territories as well."