[Muanet] Temporary visas: Howard and employers stoop to new low

[Chris Latham]

Dear members
As many of you would be aware there has increased media attention over
the use of guest labour on short term contracts, as way to both supply
skilled labour, but also to under cut union conditions. Below is an
article on the issue written by Ian Bray, assistant secretary of the
Western Australian branch of the Maritime Union of Australia, which I
thought members would be interested in. It is from the current issue of
WA MUA branch's newspaper the Maritime Worker and reprinted in this
week's issue of Green Left Weekly. 
Chris

Temporary visas: Howard and employers stoop to new low
Ian Bray 
Everyone is aware of the implications of the terrible Work Choices
legislation. However, there is another Trojan Horse the government and
employers are using to attack our rights and conditions - the so-called
skills shortage is being used as an excuse to bring in workers on
temporary work visas. 
Migrants have helped to make this country what it is. The Greeks,
Italians, Chinese, Kiwis, "10 pound Poms" and many other workers from
around the world who made Australia home have contributed greatly to the
union movement and other aspects of our life and culture. These migrants
were given permanent residency with full citizenship rights. 
But now something sinister is happening. Employers are using temporary
visas to bring in workers on short-term contracts. Typically these
workers are offered individual agreements (AWAs) on inferior pay and
conditions. Often these workers are not familiar with occupational
health and safety acts or their legal rights. In any case, the boss has
them over a barrel because the workers depend on them for their job,
visa and, often, accommodation. Employers may also offer the carrot of
permanent residency and sponsoring their family to come out too. But
this is not guaranteed, and if the worker complains, the boss can simply
cancel their visa. 
We've already seen how bosses are prepared to treat Australian workers
at the Cowra abattoir. It doesn't take much imagination to see how
they'd treat workers on temporary visas from the Philippines, Korea or
South Africa. 
How do employers do this? Here's an example: The boss puts an ad in the
paper for a welder, but offers pay well below the going rate knowing
full well that no one will take the job. They then go to the department
of immigration saying they can't fill the position and ask for
permission to bring in a guest worker on a short-term visa. 
For employers the benefit is twofold: first, they create a
super-exploitable class of workers that they hope will be too afraid to
stand up for their rights. With the slashing of awards down to five
minimum conditions, these workers can be ripped off even more than
before, and secondly, they hope that this arrangement will put downward
pressure on the wages and conditions of all workers. 
It would be easy to blame the migrant workers for this situation. But
put yourself in their shoes. They arrive in a country with a different
language and culture and may only have a limited understanding of their
rights. Even their living quarters may be controlled, with the rent set
by the boss and deducted from their pay. If they do speak out they can
be threatened with deportation. The possibilities for exploitation and
abuse are endless. 
These international workers are not the enemy; they are struggling
against the same forces as us. Some come from countries where unionists
are murdered every day. We must not allow ourselves to fall into seeing
it as foreign worker versus domestic worker. Howard is a master of using
the divide-and-rule tactic to take the heat off his government. 
A fair dinkum solution to the skills shortage would mean doing the
following two things: First, implement a comprehensive training program.
Every employer wants skilled workers but none want to pay for the
training. For example P&O Fremantle, with nearly 300 employees, don't
have a single apprentice on their books. Larger firms should be obliged
to put on a certain number of apprentices in proportion to their size.
This would create career paths for thousands of young Australians.
Secondly, if we are still short of skilled labour, then we should let
migrant workers settle here with full citizenship rights, including the
right to vote Howard and the other bastards out! 
Right now we must get employers to do the training and put on
apprentices. But we must also do what we can to protect workers on
short-term visas by joining them to the union and getting them on
enterprise agreements. It's a complex issue and we have to work with
other unions, locally, nationally and internationally, to find
solutions. We are forging links with international unions and we'll
develop this at the maritime workers' union state conference in July.
Most importantly, we need to put the blame for this problem where it
belongs - on Howard and the employers. 
[Ian Bray is the assistant secretary of the WA branch of the Maritime
Union of Australia.]

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