Mr MITCHELL - 1995-08-22
In a radio interview yesterday morning, the Electrical Trades Union organiser, Mr Peter Chambers, advised of the selective implementation of bans. What is the minister's position in relation to the union's openly-stated stand?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the member for Millner for his question. With due deference to the Minister for Public Employment, I would like to refer to a couple of areas that are primarily his area of responsibility.
At this stage, Mr Peter Chambers of the ETU seems to be leading single-handedly, and quite hysterically, the charge in inflaming the situation with regard to PAWA. As enunciated on radio yesterday, Mr Chambers' stance is effectively that he wants to ask the IRC to have the unions lift the bans which they themselves imposed because those bans are causing economic hardship. This is quite ridiculous. It is not a responsibility of the IRC, but clearly a decision for the unions. If there is a problem, they should lift the bans.
Mr Chambers raised also the matters of the quantum and equity of the wage increase. This is where I stray into the area of the Minister for Public Employment's responsibilities. We have to see what is happening nationally in this regard. I have tried to get a handle on enterprise bargaining in Australia and developments under the Industrial Relations Act detailed in a report released by Hon Laurie Brereton, who is something of a king-hitter in this regard. Certainly, his views should be well-known to members opposite. In this report, he talks about the results of enterprise bargaining in Australia for the period 30 March to 31 December 1994. His press release reads:
The first 9 months of the federal government's new industrial laws show enterprise bargaining has
increased, has effectively protected employees and has contributed to increased productivity in the workplace,
according to the first annual report on enterprise bargaining in Australia.
He talks about a national average wage increase of 3.9% for men and 3.7% for women. During this same period in the Northern Territory, a wage increase of 4% was given to PAWA workers.
Mr Ede: After how many years?
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Mr BURKE: This is better than what is happening in the national arena. The other move that is taking place nationally is that the federal minister has moved to single EBAs covering all government departments. This is federal Labor Party policy. When members opposite talk about where the Northern Territory government is going astray in this regard, they should read about what is happening nationally, and compare the level of national wage increases with our offer of 3% this year and 4% next year with a guarantee that there will be no loss of jobs. They will see then why this government believes its offer to the unions and PAWA workers is totally equitable.
The other matter I want to refer to is the letting of private contracts - a matter which Chambers dwelt on.
Mr Ede: Talk about all the jobs that those blue-collar workers have lost.
Mr BURKE: He talked about letting contracts to private contractors, including in-house workers. That is occurring and it is something that I did not want to make too public. I hold the member for Barkly totally responsible for this because clearly there is a fear of intimidation. If that intimidation begins to cause problems, she will be responsible for that.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr BURKE: She takes the responsibility. She waved the contract document around and she is the one that let it out.
Mr Stirling: It is our fault!
Mr Ede: You wrote the contract document!
Mr BURKE: The other matter Chambers talked about is the fact that there is cohesive union policy in this regard. He said the blue-collar workers were behind him. Does the member for Barkly know where the blue-collar workers are? They are in her electorate, in Tennant Creek. This is a letter from the blue-collar workers in Tennant Creek, and I am referring to the shadow spokesman for PAWA. The letter says:
A meeting at Tennant Creek Region Power Station was held at 1430 hours on Friday 18 April 1995. Union
members from the CEPU, Miscos and ALMEU and non-union members accepted by a clear majority management's 3%
first tier and 4% second tier 2-year enterprise bargaining agreement dated 15 August 1995.
They request consultation with management on actual changes in the workplace. As I have said all along, those are marginal issues that we can address. This is where the workers are. If the member talks to her own Tennant Creek workers ...
Mr Ede: They are not all in Tennant Creek.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
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Mr BURKE: The Tennant Creek workers are the face of PAWA in the future. They are multiskilled and community-minded. They are out there doing it. You are lazy and do not talk to them. That is their position.
Mr Ede: Cannot get access!
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr BURKE: The last point Chambers makes - this is a responsible union member - is that, if members of the public have a problem, they should write to the union, and it will decide on the priority of the problem and fix it. No employer operates in that way. No employer would accept that situation, certainly not an employer that is concerned with essential services. Therefore, I call again on all workers to look seriously at this bloke, to look at what is happening in Tennant Creek, and let us put this behind us.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the member for Millner for his question. With due deference to the Minister for Public Employment, I would like to refer to a couple of areas that are primarily his area of responsibility.
At this stage, Mr Peter Chambers of the ETU seems to be leading single-handedly, and quite hysterically, the charge in inflaming the situation with regard to PAWA. As enunciated on radio yesterday, Mr Chambers' stance is effectively that he wants to ask the IRC to have the unions lift the bans which they themselves imposed because those bans are causing economic hardship. This is quite ridiculous. It is not a responsibility of the IRC, but clearly a decision for the unions. If there is a problem, they should lift the bans.
Mr Chambers raised also the matters of the quantum and equity of the wage increase. This is where I stray into the area of the Minister for Public Employment's responsibilities. We have to see what is happening nationally in this regard. I have tried to get a handle on enterprise bargaining in Australia and developments under the Industrial Relations Act detailed in a report released by Hon Laurie Brereton, who is something of a king-hitter in this regard. Certainly, his views should be well-known to members opposite. In this report, he talks about the results of enterprise bargaining in Australia for the period 30 March to 31 December 1994. His press release reads:
The first 9 months of the federal government's new industrial laws show enterprise bargaining has
increased, has effectively protected employees and has contributed to increased productivity in the workplace,
according to the first annual report on enterprise bargaining in Australia.
He talks about a national average wage increase of 3.9% for men and 3.7% for women. During this same period in the Northern Territory, a wage increase of 4% was given to PAWA workers.
Mr Ede: After how many years?
Page 762
Mr BURKE: This is better than what is happening in the national arena. The other move that is taking place nationally is that the federal minister has moved to single EBAs covering all government departments. This is federal Labor Party policy. When members opposite talk about where the Northern Territory government is going astray in this regard, they should read about what is happening nationally, and compare the level of national wage increases with our offer of 3% this year and 4% next year with a guarantee that there will be no loss of jobs. They will see then why this government believes its offer to the unions and PAWA workers is totally equitable.
The other matter I want to refer to is the letting of private contracts - a matter which Chambers dwelt on.
Mr Ede: Talk about all the jobs that those blue-collar workers have lost.
Mr BURKE: He talked about letting contracts to private contractors, including in-house workers. That is occurring and it is something that I did not want to make too public. I hold the member for Barkly totally responsible for this because clearly there is a fear of intimidation. If that intimidation begins to cause problems, she will be responsible for that.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr BURKE: She takes the responsibility. She waved the contract document around and she is the one that let it out.
Mr Stirling: It is our fault!
Mr Ede: You wrote the contract document!
Mr BURKE: The other matter Chambers talked about is the fact that there is cohesive union policy in this regard. He said the blue-collar workers were behind him. Does the member for Barkly know where the blue-collar workers are? They are in her electorate, in Tennant Creek. This is a letter from the blue-collar workers in Tennant Creek, and I am referring to the shadow spokesman for PAWA. The letter says:
A meeting at Tennant Creek Region Power Station was held at 1430 hours on Friday 18 April 1995. Union
members from the CEPU, Miscos and ALMEU and non-union members accepted by a clear majority management's 3%
first tier and 4% second tier 2-year enterprise bargaining agreement dated 15 August 1995.
They request consultation with management on actual changes in the workplace. As I have said all along, those are marginal issues that we can address. This is where the workers are. If the member talks to her own Tennant Creek workers ...
Mr Ede: They are not all in Tennant Creek.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Page 763
Mr BURKE: The Tennant Creek workers are the face of PAWA in the future. They are multiskilled and community-minded. They are out there doing it. You are lazy and do not talk to them. That is their position.
Mr Ede: Cannot get access!
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr BURKE: The last point Chambers makes - this is a responsible union member - is that, if members of the public have a problem, they should write to the union, and it will decide on the priority of the problem and fix it. No employer operates in that way. No employer would accept that situation, certainly not an employer that is concerned with essential services. Therefore, I call again on all workers to look seriously at this bloke, to look at what is happening in Tennant Creek, and let us put this behind us.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016