Howard Government Asleep At The Wheel on Defence Skills Shortage

AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten said he had noted with interest comments earlier this week from Defence Department official Peter Croser (1) , confirming the defence industry was finding it difficult to attract and retain highly skilled tradespeople.

Mr Shorten said all Australians should be concerned about a Government that, faced with a defence skills shortage, had shown no interest in resolving the dispute involving Boeing employees based at the Williamtown air base near Newcastle.

"On the one hand, we have the Defence Department confirming a shortage of skilled workers, which threatens its capacity to equip future war fighters," Mr Shorten said.

"On the other hand, we have the Government sitting on its hands, allowing a dispute that has put more than 30 skilled workers off the job for nearly two months drag on and on."

Mr Shorten said the AWU members who maintain RAAF Hornet jet fighters wanted the Government to stand up for their right to negotiate a collective agreement.

"Boeing, a contractor with the Defence Department, is paying its workers at Williamtown up to $2 per hour less than its workers elsewhere doing the same job at the same skill level," Mr Shorten said.

"If the federal government was serious about addressing the skills shortage within the defence industry, it would be doing everything within its power to ensure that employees of its contractors were paid in accordance with industry standards.

"John Howard is spending taxpayers' money attempting to assure Australian workers that they will always have the right to choose a union negotiated collective agreement.

"Our members have made that choice, but the federal government is content to sit back and watch as F/A18s sit in the hanger at Williamtown," Mr Shorten said.

(1) Defence attacks skills shortage, Sydney Morning Herald, 18/07/05.

Contact Details
AWU National Office
Ph:  (03) 8327 0888
Fax: (03) 8327 0899
members@awu.net.au
http://www.awu.net.au/