SUPPORT SAVE JOBS RALLY
11.45 AM TUESDAY 23 MAY 2000 VICTORIA SQUARE & PARLIAMENT HOUSE
11.45am Assemble at Victoria Square
12 noon Depart Victoria Square for Parliament House along King William St
Stopping at Senator Minchin's Office
(Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices
Commonwealth Bank
100 King William St)
12.30 pm Parliament House Steps
Speeches from delegates and Mike Rann
MEDIA STATEMENT FROM CHRIS WHITE, SECRETARY, UNITED TRADES & LABOUR COUNCIL
MINCHIN DOES NOTHING AS SA ENGINEERING INDUSTRY COLLAPSES
The UTLC on the evening of Friday 19 May publicly supported the rank and
file demands from manufacturing workers at the Submarine Corporation, at
Perry Engineering, at Mitsubishi and Port Stanvac Oil Refinery to SAVE
JOBS, PUT JOBS FIRST and SAVE OUR STATE.
"The worst performance is the do nothing Senator Minchin, SA's leading
Liberal supposedly in charge of Industry. Senator Minchin just issues
regrets at the large numbers of redundancies as SA engineering is in crisis
and collapsing," said Chris White Secretary of the UTLC today.
"Both the immediate future is worrying and the long term possibility of
calamity for our manufacturing sector."
"It is nothing but a disgrace that Senator Minchin has still not made a
decision about the Submarine Corporation where skilled workers face more
redundancies in six weeks time. There is the real risk of closure with the
maintenance and refitting of the Submarines in WA rather than at Osborne.
This engineering facility will be lost to the State of SA. Skilled
engineering workers will have to move interstate. The uncertainty over what
Minchin will do with their share of the Submarine Project and the failure
to link in with the German Submarine Company HDW that has future contracts
is disturbing. There is no information on what is happening, whether there
is an American consortium that can develop Osborne or what. What is worse
everyone expected that the refitting and maintenance work would be done at
Osborne over 30 years yet now this seems to be going the way of WA. This
makes no economic sense to close these world class facilities. Senator
Minchin as a South Australian should act now."
"The 600 jobs lost at Mitsibushi and the uncertainty over its future is a
huge blow with no positive intervention and job survival initiatives from
Senator Minchin. And what of the future? Why are you going ahead with the
lowering of tariffs and more imported cars? Why have you not got a
cooperative vehicle industry policy involving workers and unions? Senator
Minchin what are you doing to bring new jobs to GMH?"
"I am like the workers stunned by the redundancies at the long established
Perry's Engineering now in receivership."
"At Port Stanvac there are redundancies and continuing doubt over the
future of jobs and the survival of the Refinery. Again it was Senator
Minchin who favours rationalisation."
"Senator Minchin: SA industry is in crisis. SA jobs are being lost."
The rank and file workers marching on Tuesday are all facing redundancy.
Delegates from the Submarine Corporation will be addressing tonight's
Council meeting. Contact Chris White Secretary of the UTLC. 82123155
0418830297
LL.SE
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