Thursday, February 18, 2016

ACTU: Unemployment up to 6%: Turnbull Government has no jobs plan

18 February 2016

Unemployment remains stubbornly high according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released today and with no apparent jobs plan in sight from the Turnbull government, Australians have a right to be worried.

Instead of a positive plan for job creation, Australians have instead been faced with a Government that actively undermines Australian jobs at every opportunity including:

  • Allowing for the brutal sacking of Australian seafarers and their replacement by exploited, ridiculously low paid overseas workers,
  • Trading away jobs through free trade agreements,
  • Slashing 17,300 public sector jobs,
  • Allowing key local manufacturing industries such as shipbuilding and automotive to simply die,

Australian workers and their families are rightly concerned about where new jobs are to come from.

Families are already under pressure as a result of the Turnbull Government as a result of current and potential cuts to health and education and attacks on rights at work including an aggressive campaign to cut penalty rates.

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO ACTU PRESIDENT, GED KEARNEY

The living standards of the lowest-paid workers in our economy are under threat, and now a rise in unemployment figures will add to growing concerns.

Sector by sector, every time we get a glimpse of the Turnbull Government’s industrial relations approach, we see it is aimed at hurting working people instead of building confidence and standards of living. It is time Mr Turnbull started articulating his plans to grow decent, well paid jobs Australians can rely on.

High unemployment levels are an indication that people are under stress which is why Australian unions are campaigning for those things that we know will build a better future.

The Turnbull Government’s approach to industrial relations is deeply troubling. If they’re not forcing jobs offshore, they’re attacking penalty rates or moving to introduce enterprise contracts.

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