MARCH 24, 2021 – The Morrison Government has failed workers from one of Australia’s leading wind tower manufacturers in a deal it struck with Danish company Vestas to build Ryan Corner wind farm in Victoria.
The Morrison Government has failed workers from one of Australia’s leading wind tower manufacturers in a deal it struck with Danish company Vestas to build Ryan Corner wind farm in Victoria.
The Morrison Government’s claim to support Australian manufacturing jobs and Australian made products is hollow talk.
It signed a deal to purchase 75 percent of the energy generated by the wind farm for the next 15 years to power Snowy Hydro 2.0, but failed to ensure Australian steel and local towers were part of the deal, locking out regional manufacturing workers at Keppel Prince in Portland, Victoria.
The Morrison Government’s failure to add local content requirements to the contract with Vestas has already cost the jobs of 40 workers in Australia’s growing renewables industry and has put another 100 on the line.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) demand the Morrison Government and local member Dan Tehan turn this around by ensuring the contract with Vestas mandates local steel and local content.
Quotes attributable to Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) national secretary Steve Murphy:
“These manufacturing workers from regional Victoria are in Canberra to demand the Morrison Government and local member Dan Tehan step up and protect regional manufacturing jobs in Australia’s renewables industry.
“Forty workers lost their jobs last week and another 100 could in the coming week. This is devastating for these workers and their families who will struggle to make ends meet.
“The Morrison Government should put their money where their mouth is and fix this and fix it now. At a minimum, requiring 40 percent of the project use local steel and manufacturing will keep these Keppel Prince workers in their jobs.
“We should be learning from COVID, we need to rebuild our economy by making things here in Australia.
“We can’t sell out the futures of local workers for cheap steel bought overseas.”