TODAY’S revelation that Mr Yoshifumi Nakata, Nippon Steel’s Australian boss, had said he was “afraid and very concerned” about the escalation of industrial action in Australia’s resource and energy sector has been described as a “sobering wake up call” by the sectors leading employer organisation.
Chief Executive, Steve Knott, said AREEA has repeatedly highlighted the potential investment impacts of highly disruptive strike activity with Government as well as formally raising the matter with the Deputy Prime Minister with having an impact on back in December last year.
“At the time, our concerns were dismissed. And since December, the resources and energy sector has experienced significant strike activity and unions have made it clear there is more to come.” But as has been revealed, we were right to bring such concerns to the Government’s attention, as it is clear that companies in Australia’s second largest export market have placed the alarming escalation in industrial disputation within the sector firmly on their radar,” Mr Knott said.
“Over recent months AREEA has been increasingly been approached by concerned international investors. For union leaders in Western Australia to think that their actions are not being noticed displays an antiquated and prehistoric understanding of the modern global economy,”
“For this to be raised at such a high level – in bilateral negotiations, clearly shows the gravity of such concerns, and should be considered as a wake up call to the leadership of unions such as the MUA and CFMEU.”
Mr Knott said that as the resources and energy sectors national employer organisation, AREEA remained committed to raising such issues on behalf of it’s members.
“In doing so our goal is to ensure we have an industrial relations environment that allows our members to get on with the job of of providing job security to hundreds of thousands of Australian workers and their families and creating jobs into the future by attracting the international investment vital to the nation’s long term interest.” Mr Knott said
Mr Knott said it was imperative the Government heed this wake up call and review the legislative framework so as to ensure sufficient measures were in place to stop damaging industrial and union activity that was not in the national interest.”
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