Unions leaders look to 'hop into bed' with Workchoices supporters

Treasurer and Minister for Employment and Economic Development
The Honourable Andrew Fraser
12/03/2010
Unions leaders look to 'hop into bed' with Workchoices supporters

Treasurer Andrew Fraser says rank and file union members should be questioning their leadership's decision to hold talks with coal companies trying to split up and buy Queensland Rail.

Mr Fraser said the rank and file union membership would recognise that the Queensland Resources Council fully supports the privatisation of QR, and that if the coal company plan to break up the business was supported, the workforce would be decimated.

"Union members must be amazed that their leadership are looking at hopping into bed with mining companies," Mr Fraser said.

"These are the same mining companies who fully supported John Howard's extreme Work Choices laws.

"This is the same Queensland Resources Council that fiercely lobbied Kevin Rudd to keep unfair individual contracts, Australian Workplace Agreements."

"This is an unholy alliance of the highest order.

"The QCU is being duped by the QRC, who has the interests of coal companies at heart, not the workers."

"If the coal companies get their way they will carve up QR into little pieces and dominate it. They will break up the workforce and the unions are falling for their trick."

"The best results for workers is to keep QR strong and grow it - that's why our model for vertically integrated QR National is the best for the long term interests of the Queensland economy and the QR workforce."

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Publish Date: 12 Mar 10