AMWU keeps fighting for auto members
The AMWU this week clawed back gains on two fronts in the auto industry with a final enterprise deal for Toyota workers and a back down by the Abbott Government.
toyota_smh.jpegThe AMWU this week clawed back gains on two fronts in the auto industry with a final enterprise deal for Toyota workers and a back down by the Abbott Government.
More than 90 per cent of Toyota workers nationally voted to approve two final enterprise agreements for manufacturing and warehousing, which give certainty and outstanding packages to members when the carmaker departs.
Sustained union and community pressure also led to the Government abandoning its $900 million cuts to the Automotive Transformation Scheme.
It gave hope that parts makers would continue to 2017, but was “too little, too late” according to National Vehicles Secretary Dave Smith.
“The Government will likely only spend $100 million of this money, all they’ve done is recognise they will never get the ATS cuts through the Senate,” he said.
“It’s a cynical political exercise to dress up their back down.”
The money is tied to Australian car manufacturing rather than helping more components makers to diversify into export markets.
“If the Government had chosen to support the industry and its 50,000 workers 18 months ago, the falling dollar would have resulted in the industry being export competitive again, “Mr Smith noted.
“The industry would be employing again, not winding down.”
The AMWU wants all the ATS $500 million – plus $400 million which had been earmarked for after the car maker’s closures - re-directed back into component makers, after-market services, the truck industry and other auto area which can grow and create jobs.
This reform would help make them more viable and able to absorb a bigger portion of the thousands of jobs likely to be lost when the carmakers close.
On Toyota, Mr Smith said he was confident the AMWU had secured 2000 members certainty to 2017 with a package giving them the best possible chance to plan and train for their employment future.
“Now that the union has secured certainty over the closure arrangements, we will be putting all our efforts into working with governments and industry to create alternative jobs,” he said.
“Jobs mean everything to our members and we won’t let them down.”
http://www.amwu.org.au/amwu_keeps_fighting_for_auto_members
---
Doom and gloom hits car workers in SA
By Tim Dornin - AAP on May 16, 2016, 4:01 pm
Doom and gloom descends on auto industry workers in South Australia as they struggle to find jobs.
Doom and gloom descends on auto industry workers in South Australia as they struggle to find jobs.
SHARE TWEET EMAIL
Doom and gloom has descended on auto industry workers in South Australia as they struggle to find new jobs ahead of the shutdown of local car manufacturing, a union official says.
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union state secretary John Camillo says workers who have left the industry and those who are yet to take redundancy packages are applying for jobs on a daily basis and are not getting any response.
"We have people who have been on the dole queues for 18 months, people with skills and certificates who can't find employment," Mr Camillo said on Monday.
The AMWU believes up to 13,000 jobs could be lost across the auto industry in SA by the time Holden, Ford and Toyota shut up shop at the end of 2017.
That toll accounts for more than 1000 who are still employed at Holden's Adelaide assembly operations but also those still employed in the component sector and support companies.
Mr Camillo said the feeling among Holden workers was "doom and gloom" with many still to leave the company wondering where they will find new jobs.
"Morale is down because they're not sure what will happen when they get their package," he said.
But the union boss said things could have been different if the coalition had agreed to support Holden to develop a 10-year plan to continue building cars in Australia, a plan that would have cost the government a "lousy" $75 million a year.
In return the company was prepared to invest $1 billion in its local operations to develop new cars and to continue production, he said.
Mr Camillo welcomed a Labor election pledge to provide $59 million to support car industry companies and workers, providing funds to retrain workers, purchase new equipment and plug into new supply chains.
About $17.5 million of that will be spent in South Australia and will be in addition to existing state government assistance and the federal government's Automotive Transformation Scheme.
Stage 2 of the ATS, which has been capped at $1 billion, is still taking applications and is slated to run until 2020.
But it remains unclear exactly how much of the remaining cash, about $800 million, will be distributed.
Mr Camillo said the money should be used to find employment for auto workers.
"We'll be putting pressure on all politicians in regard to utilising that money for the auto industry in Australia," he said.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/sa/a/31611877/doom-and-gloom-hits-auto-workers-in-sa/#page1
The AMWU this week clawed back gains on two fronts in the auto industry with a final enterprise deal for Toyota workers and a back down by the Abbott Government.
toyota_smh.jpegThe AMWU this week clawed back gains on two fronts in the auto industry with a final enterprise deal for Toyota workers and a back down by the Abbott Government.
More than 90 per cent of Toyota workers nationally voted to approve two final enterprise agreements for manufacturing and warehousing, which give certainty and outstanding packages to members when the carmaker departs.
Sustained union and community pressure also led to the Government abandoning its $900 million cuts to the Automotive Transformation Scheme.
It gave hope that parts makers would continue to 2017, but was “too little, too late” according to National Vehicles Secretary Dave Smith.
“The Government will likely only spend $100 million of this money, all they’ve done is recognise they will never get the ATS cuts through the Senate,” he said.
“It’s a cynical political exercise to dress up their back down.”
The money is tied to Australian car manufacturing rather than helping more components makers to diversify into export markets.
“If the Government had chosen to support the industry and its 50,000 workers 18 months ago, the falling dollar would have resulted in the industry being export competitive again, “Mr Smith noted.
“The industry would be employing again, not winding down.”
The AMWU wants all the ATS $500 million – plus $400 million which had been earmarked for after the car maker’s closures - re-directed back into component makers, after-market services, the truck industry and other auto area which can grow and create jobs.
This reform would help make them more viable and able to absorb a bigger portion of the thousands of jobs likely to be lost when the carmakers close.
On Toyota, Mr Smith said he was confident the AMWU had secured 2000 members certainty to 2017 with a package giving them the best possible chance to plan and train for their employment future.
“Now that the union has secured certainty over the closure arrangements, we will be putting all our efforts into working with governments and industry to create alternative jobs,” he said.
“Jobs mean everything to our members and we won’t let them down.”
http://www.amwu.org.au/amwu_keeps_fighting_for_auto_members
---
Doom and gloom hits car workers in SA
By Tim Dornin - AAP on May 16, 2016, 4:01 pm
Doom and gloom descends on auto industry workers in South Australia as they struggle to find jobs.
Doom and gloom descends on auto industry workers in South Australia as they struggle to find jobs.
SHARE TWEET EMAIL
Doom and gloom has descended on auto industry workers in South Australia as they struggle to find new jobs ahead of the shutdown of local car manufacturing, a union official says.
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union state secretary John Camillo says workers who have left the industry and those who are yet to take redundancy packages are applying for jobs on a daily basis and are not getting any response.
"We have people who have been on the dole queues for 18 months, people with skills and certificates who can't find employment," Mr Camillo said on Monday.
The AMWU believes up to 13,000 jobs could be lost across the auto industry in SA by the time Holden, Ford and Toyota shut up shop at the end of 2017.
That toll accounts for more than 1000 who are still employed at Holden's Adelaide assembly operations but also those still employed in the component sector and support companies.
Mr Camillo said the feeling among Holden workers was "doom and gloom" with many still to leave the company wondering where they will find new jobs.
"Morale is down because they're not sure what will happen when they get their package," he said.
But the union boss said things could have been different if the coalition had agreed to support Holden to develop a 10-year plan to continue building cars in Australia, a plan that would have cost the government a "lousy" $75 million a year.
In return the company was prepared to invest $1 billion in its local operations to develop new cars and to continue production, he said.
Mr Camillo welcomed a Labor election pledge to provide $59 million to support car industry companies and workers, providing funds to retrain workers, purchase new equipment and plug into new supply chains.
About $17.5 million of that will be spent in South Australia and will be in addition to existing state government assistance and the federal government's Automotive Transformation Scheme.
Stage 2 of the ATS, which has been capped at $1 billion, is still taking applications and is slated to run until 2020.
But it remains unclear exactly how much of the remaining cash, about $800 million, will be distributed.
Mr Camillo said the money should be used to find employment for auto workers.
"We'll be putting pressure on all politicians in regard to utilising that money for the auto industry in Australia," he said.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/sa/a/31611877/doom-and-gloom-hits-auto-workers-in-sa/#page1
No comments:
Post a Comment