One BIG reason why there unemployment in Australia

[fourandsixpants]

Background info: 

457 visa amendments and legislation 'pushed' through our Australian Parliament last day of previous Govt. Took about 13 minutes to open a LOOPHOLE which would enable large corporations and the like to exploit cheap labour.....and cut out Australian locals.

....apparently, a bell rings throughout Parliament to alert Members/Senators-whoever, to attend and before the 3rd/final reading of a bill before it is passed for legislation, including amendments. All parties are involved....red, blue, green, yellow etc etc

Something like 90% or 95% of these bods must be present during the reading and then vote 'yay' or 'nay'.

Now that there is this huge LOOPHOLE in the 457 visa legislation.....that has been legislated by the MAJORITY of these BIPARTISAN bods companies like.......

e.g. Chevron, running the Gorgon Gas project off the coast of WA ,CAN and ARE employing non-Australians, preferentially, over AUSTRALIANS.

A large 'accomodation ship' carrying 300 or so Estonians  came and dropped anchor off our coast so that these 457 visa non-residents can go to work at the Gorgon Gas Project.

These foreign workers are not considered to be based 'on the land' and their accomodation ship is considered to be anchored 'off shore' and not in Australian waters.

Wonder how much these Estonians are getting paid?

Wonder which politicians and their corporate mates are happy about this lil'number?

Wonder how many people reading this are as angry about this as I am?

[fourandsixpants]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/This+cruise+ship+from+Estonia+Silja+Festival+being+converted+int...

same as this deal:

This cruise ship from Estonia, the Silja Festival, is being converted into a floating hotel

This cruise ship from Estonia, the Silja Festival, is being converted into a floating hotel that will move from North Vancouver to Kitimat to house 600 Rio Tinto workers.An influx of workers has dramatically increased housing prices in the northern B.C. town, and rental accommodation is hard to find.

....Oh yes! I forgot to mention too that:

In 2010, Chevron Australia was awarded the WA Employer of the Year.  *wow

In May 2013, Chevron confirmed its commitment to local businesses in Australia and announced that it had already spent a massive $30 billion with local suppliers as part of the development of the Gorgon and Wheatstone Projects. The two natural gas projects had also created 14,000 direct and indirect jobs across Australia – 10,000 on Gorgon and 4,000 on Wheatstone.....   

In April 2014, Chevron Australia won the inaugural Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) Environment Excellence Award.   

In front of an array of leading Australian dignitaries in May 2014, the American Australian Association honoured Chevron Australia Managing Director Roy Krzywosinski. The award recognised Chevron's significant investment in Australia and the mutual benefits it brought both nations. 

[fourandsixpants]

I reckon ALL the big mining companies that are into gas exploration offshore and off the coasts of countries around the world must be doing same.

i.e. using loopholes to exploit workers - all about saving money. NOT about doing the right thing.

Is Chevron Australia the same co. that is intending to frack for coal seam gas?

[fourandsixpants]

http://subtopia.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/floating-labor-camps-of-future-now.html

“Some 6,000 workers across over 20 construction sites at power stations and oil refineries took unofficial action as part of the dispute” from sites all across England, Scotland and Wales......

....There are apparently a number of firms who have been granted contracts that UK labor unions claim have been dolling out work to non-British citizens: from Polish and Lithuanian construction workers to Italian and Portuguese, primarily......

.....The real reason, Socialist Worker says groups of workers are being shipped in is to control the subcontracting system......

.... saving at least 50% (am guessing on accomm/travel/wages etc) ......these immigrant workers are so desperate for the work that they accept this........the cargo industry of human labor.

Maritime Unions To Challenge Abbott’s Offshore Visa Mess

http://www.mua.org.au/maritime_unions_to_challenge_abbott_s_offshore_visa_mess

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the Australian Maritime Officers Union (AMOU) have sought legal advice from two senior counsel who both formed the view that the Government has acted beyond its powers.

The move comes as Senators mull over the fact they have been completely done over by the Abbott Government as part of its ideological crusade to bring in foreign workers to undermine Australian jobs in the offshore oil and gas sector.

The Abbott Government has taken three significant steps that undermine Australian participation in offshore oil and gas projects. 

It has:
    •    Introduced a Bill to repeal the Migration Amendment (Offshore Resources Activity) Act 2013 which was passed by the Parliament in 2013 to address a flaw in Australia’s migration law following a Federal Court judgement in the Allseas case that found that certain groups of workers were not within the migration zone and did not require visas to work in Australia; 

    •    Introduced a Regulation under that Act that specified an inappropriate visa class as a work visa to conform with the Act (the Maritime Crew Visa, which is a transit visa for visiting international seafarers, not a work visa); and

 
    •    When the Senate rightly disallowed the regulation specifying that visa, introduced a Determination that effectively makes the Act null and void in complete disregard to the wishes of the Parliament.

 

The main sticking point has been use of the Maritime Crew (subclass 988) Visa, which requires no labour market testing and can be used to hire foreign workers on greatly reduced pay and conditions compared to their Australian counterparts. 


All maritime unions ..........proposed a solution whereby the Government reintroduce a regulation which mentioned the other two types of visa – the 457 and 400 – without the MCV. 

But instead of listening and working co-­‐operatively, the Government instead chose to wind back the clock by using a 'legislative instrument' which eliminated the need for a visa for those on board ships and other craft not tethered to the Australian seabed. 

“The ACTU condemns the Abbott Government for its underhand methods of circumventing the will of the Parliament” the resolution says.

“By specifying an inappropriate visa class which contains only minimal background checking, which places no obligations of the sponsor to meet minimum Australian labour, safety and compensation standards, and which includes no labour market testing requirement, the Government’s intentions are clear for all to see.

“These actions of the Government are contrary to Australia's national interest, are a slap in the face for Australian offshore oil and gas workers and for the many Australians who want to work in the sector and demonstrates the Government is prepared to disregard Australian security interests when big business interests are involved.

“The ACTU acknowledges the important role which the Greens, PUP, DLP, AMEP and Labor Senators played in disallowing the regulations. This was the right decision by the Senators and any unintended consequences fall squarely on the Government and the Assistant Minister for Immigration.

“The ACTU is also concerned that the Government’s actions will cost millions of dollars in lost taxation revenue.”

The MUA is working with other unions to renew its change.org petition, which has so far gathered nearly 15,000 signatures. It calls on Senators to:
(a) vote against the Migration Amendment (Offshore Resources Activity) Repeal Bill 2014; and
(b) act to prevent the Federal Government from continuing to issue Maritime Crew (subclass 988) visas to foreign workers for the purposes of working in Australia’s offshore oil and gas industry.

To read more on the issue click here.

To sign the petition click here.

[icyfroth · Accepted solution]

that's criminal

[*mrgrizz*]

have you ever been involved in the recuitment of staff?

my work has impoted a few 457 visa workers over the last few years.

try finding a Aussie to fill some of the jobs we have advertised

[boris1gary · Accepted solution]

Big Business rorting 457 visas to undermine our wages and conditions

The Liberals, led by Tony Abbott, howl that there is no evidence of rorts and that employers have to prove that they can’t find local workers first.

As in many of his other proclamations, he is completely wrong on both counts.

Proof

The CFMEU alongside other unions know there is rorting going on. We know because the ABS figures show that at the same time there have been 68,000 jobs lost in the construction industry, there has been a 38% rise in 457 visas. We know because our members tell us that they can’t get a look in on the big resource sector jobs, despite their skills and experience. We know because a few courageous 457 workers who have come forward have come to us for help because of shocking exploitation that they have suffered.

There is no ‘official’ evidence of rorts because no one in government or elsewhere has bothered to collect such data.

People from around the country are speaking up: on talk back radio, in newspapers, in social media and they’re telling stories of their own employers consistently employing 457 visa workers without even bothering to find out if there any locals available.

Next plane home

The 457 visa system is a boon for business. They can employ cheaper workers who are more compliant and who are frightened to speak up about safety because they are here as indentured labour to their employers. If they cause trouble, they’re simply deported back to where they came from.

The CFMEU is campaigning about this – not because we are backward or racist as some of the media claim, but because we want to defend our hard won pay and conditions. We will not stand by and allow employers to undermine what we’ve taken years to build. We want jobs for locals first and anyone who comes to this country for work should have the same rights as everyone else.

I am the son of migrants as are many officials, delegates and members. We fight for the rights of all workers in our industry, including those who employers have brought in as guest labour and are trying to rip off.

This is not a fight about immigration, but a fight for workers’ rights which is what we’re all about.

John Setka
Secretary

[fourandsixpants · Accepted solution]

Yes Icy.....'criminal'    this Senator OVERRODE debated and passed legislation, 

after the Senate had done their bit  the WHOLE SENATE!!!

She has wrangled stuff so that these foreign workers on accommodation ships, just outside WA Austr waters don't now require any sort of visa! HOWs that?!.....taking our Australian jobs too.

little lurking 'loopholes'. .......Probably be contestable in a court of law somewhere

She is Scott Morrisons lil' woman weapon. His 'Assistant'  

[icyfroth]

---

@*mrgrizz* wrote:

have you ever been involved in the recuitment of staff?

my work has impoted a few 457 visa workers over the last few years.

try finding a Aussie to fill some of the jobs we have advertised

---

Why do you think that is, Grizz?

[fourandsixpants]

All this organised RORTING of our legislation is too much.

All to serve the large corporations I mean these large corporations that are benefiting from cheap, foreign workers are probably only paying around 1% on/of their profit tax.

No wonder all these infestor share holders in these monopolizing corporate companies AND the involved banksters have drool running from the sides of their grinning mouths and are rubbing their hands so furiously together that blood appears to be dripping from them - disgustingly and criminally obese with greed