ACTU opposes immigration increases

ACTU opposes immigration increases

By Lisa Macdonald

In a submission to the federal government's annual review of immigration programs, the ACTU has called for a freeze of the immigration intake in the next financial year at its current level of 73,000.

Choosing to ignore the accumulating research evidence which clearly shows that immigration does not cause unemployment, the ACTU is arguing for an embargo on increases on the basis that a national unemployment rate of almost 9% allows "no scope for an increase in immigration".

While advocating an increase in the refugee intake from 13,000 to 15,000, the submission calls for tighter administration of the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS), which allows employers to sponsor immigrants who have skills that are in short supply in the local labour market. The ENS component of the annual intake is currently 8000.

Certainly, the federal government should increase the intake of humanitarian refugees. The ACTU's proposal to increase this intake by 2000 people, however, is patently tokenistic.

Similarly, it's true that businesses use skilled migrants as a cheaper alternative to taking on apprentices or training unemployed people to do the work.

But to argue this case after more than a decade of silent acquiescence, as employers slashed apprenticeships, laid off workers, reduced staff ceilings and extended employees' hours of work, is absurd.

Had the trade union leadership fought to defend jobs and enforce business's responsibility to provide training in all sectors during the years of economic recession, there would be little need to "review" the ENS today.

In their submission, the ACTU leaders have sacrificed a progressive principle, free immigration, to their immediate political need to win the support (and obedience) of rank and file workers without upsetting the federal Labor government too much in the process.

From GLW issue 186