Blogger News Network

May 18, 2006 

• Downer welcomes Australian nuclear energy debate
• Snowy Hydro Scheme to go public
• Pair extradited and charged over Granville, Sydney shootings
• US Navy sailors jailed in Australia on drug smuggling charges
• Australian Democrats in "continuous downward spiral": Founder

Australian opposition leader Kim Beazley is expected to release his workplace plan when he will speak to a union delegate meeting in Sydney today.

At the meeting today, there will be delegates from the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU), Energy Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMFU) and Australian Workers Union (AWU).

Under the plan, employers will be prevented from employing overseas migrants for 12 months after sacking Australian workers from the same job.

In a statement, Andrew Ferguson, CFMEU's NSW Secretary said that his union is contacted regularly after Australian workers are sacked for less expensive overseas labor. "There is not a day that goes by that people don't contact the union looking for help finding a job because employers are importing cheap labour rather than investing in Australian workers".

Mr Ferguson welcomed the opposition's incentives. "Kim Beazley's proposal is a welcome step forward in rectifying the short-sighted policies of a government that has completely failed to look out for the interests of working Australians."

Sources

• "Beazley to launch workplace plan". The Australian, May 18, 2006

• AAP "Beazley to launch new workplace plan". Yahoo 7 News, May 18, 2006