Any potential relocation program to address skills shortages in regional Australia must avoid a ‘revolving door’ of relocation by providing attractive working conditions and transferable skills training, according to the AMWU.
In a recent submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment and Workplace Relations Inquiry into opportunities to address skills shortages in regional Australia through relocation strategies, the AMWU expresses concern that workers not be ‘transplanted across the nation’ at the behest of employers claiming a shortage of skilled workers.
“A sustainable answer to employers who claim they are short of skills or workers, is not simply to provide them with either an endless supply of workers trained outside the sector, or workers trained simply for the immediate job needs of a particular employer”, the submission says.
The submission instead advocates a sustainable approach to addressing skills shortages, involving transferable skills training, curbing the 457 visa program and relocating production facilities where possible, rather than removing workers unnecessarily from their families and communities. In addition, the submission argues that any policy on worker relocation must be matched with policies which promote fair working conditions, employer training responsibilities and dispute resolution mechanisms.
The AMWU also proposes that a national Resource Sector Council and Engineering Apprentice Employment Trust be established to better meet the long-term structural needs of the resource sector.
The submission stands in stark contrast to recent ‘policy-on-the-run’ comments by Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who said that a Liberal Government may ban dole payments for under 30 year olds to ‘encourage’ them to relocate and take up resource sector jobs.
Instead, the submission details the AMWU’s commitment to lobbying for a long-term resolution of imbalances between demand and supplies of willing labour.
A PDF version of this submission may be downloaded here