Quote:
Originally Posted by minheim
I don't buy the union bashing argument . Toyota were happy to stay but closed when Holden quit as it impacted local component viability. There are plenty of countries that pay higher wages than us but export. The root causes were tariff/FTA issues, lack of export markets and hence scale of production, which in large part is the result of Holden and Ford being shut out of the USA market by their owners and being caught out by the SUV switch. The USA was the logical market for falcon and Commodore. Remember Holden workers were ready to accept a 3 year wage freeze if Holden committed to maintaining Commodore and Cruze production beyond 2016. The price of electricity/energy (thank you privatisation and cheap exports)) also probably have been a factor.
If you look at the current issue of wage theft and wage stagnation confronting the broader economy these days that is a direct result of the constraints place on unions by the conservatives of this country. Under Howard unions lost the ability to enter workplaces to check wage records and look where we are now. The reduced ability to strike even in negotiating periods and absence of arbitration together with foreign worker visas also undermine the local economy long term. Why train apprentices if you can import cheap workers. Anyway enough of a rant.
|
Well said. Everyone who points the finger at unions also fails to mention auto workers in germany, the uk, usa, south korea etc all make equal or more money than australian auto workers did. And wages only make up a small % of a vehicles cost.
If wages were the sole reason for losing our auto manufacturing then china, thailand, mexico and all the other cheap wage countries would be the only ones manufacturing at all.
Don't let facts get in the way of a good union bashing though
