The heads of Australia’s biggest blue-collar unions are in Kwinana, Western Australia today to address workers at the Alcoa refinery, as part of the two unions’ Manufacturing Alliance jobs campaign. The Manufacturing Alliance is calling for better government procurement policy and measures to encourage innovation in Australia’s manufacturing industry to create jobs.
The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) represent over 250,000 workers and have members in almost every town in Australia.
AWU National Secretary Paul Howes and AMWU National Secretary Dave Oliver said the manufacturing sector had lost 77,000 workers nationwide over the past year, and measures were needed to secure jobs in the Perth Outer South Region that includes Kwinana, Cockburn, Melville and Rockingham.
“31,000 manufacturing workers live in this region and if Australian industry gets a fair go on local content there should be a jobs surge in the next five years with booming resources sector investment” Mr Oliver said.
“But Premier Barnett is using international aluminium for the Gorgon Gas project and Chinese aluminium for the Oakajee Port development project and that is having an adverse affect on local jobs.
“The most important thing we can do is to make sure we have a fair go procurement policy in place to give Australian manufacturers the ability to supply large-scale infrastructure projects and tenders,” Mr Oliver said.
Paul Howes said that unions and workers had a lot to contribute to the debate about improving innovation, investment and skills.
“The Alliance campaign is about creating jobs in critical manufacturing industries after the damage done by years of economic degradation and neglect by the previous government,” said Mr Howes.
“Western Australia needs government procurement policies in place that take greater advantage of opportunities to ensure jobs growth in manufacturing, said Mr Howes.
“The Rudd Government has indicated that they support a co-operative approach between workers, industry and government in order to bring about the changes and we are determined to play our part,” said Mr Howes.
