Annolies Truman, Perth
The conference of the WA branch of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) in Fremantle on July 26-28 strongly condemned the use of section 457 visas, used by employers to bring guest workers to Australia. It denounced the Australian government "for its willingness to provide a pathway for employers to openly exploit guest workers who come to Australia whilst at the same time undermining Australian workers' pay and conditions".
A conference session on the issue was addressed by Wilson Baldonaza, president of the Filipino union ANGLO KMU; Ian Bray, WA MUA assistant secretary; Steve McCartney, president of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) WA branch; and Adam van Harte, a former 457 visa holder from South Africa.
Baldonaza painted a grim picture of the threats to Filipino unionists, who risk assassination and detention for organising and taking industrial action. He described the dire economic situation facing workers in underdeveloped countries, such as the Philippines.
"We have 56% unemployment", he said. "Ten million Filipinos have been forced to work overseas where most are brutally exploited. We don't want to be used against organised labour in Australia or be the butt of racist policies. It's in all our interests for our unions to cooperate to get a fair deal for everyone."
Bray warned about the political agenda behind the guest labour laws. "Howard wants to do two things. First, divide and conquer the Australian working class along racist lines. This is the next 'children overboard' issue coming into the federal election.
"Second, he wants to drive down wages and conditions by giving capital the right to exploit foreign labour. If we go down this road, we'll all end up on the scrap heap in a dog-eat-dog world."
Bray stressed: "The union movement can't buy into the racism argument. We have to stand strong against the guest labour laws, both here and internationally."
McCartney described some of the horror stories that AMWU organisers have uncovered, such as the case of a Korean man who paid $50,000 for the "right" to work in Australia by selling his house and leaving his child in Korea with grandparents. In another workplace, guest workers had "Filipino worker" written on their helmets.
McCartney said the AMWU has assigned a full-time organiser to the 457 visa issue. He told Green Left Weekly, "Only 35 companies with 457 visa employees have been investigated to date and, of those, 28 were found to be in breach of the regulations."
McCartney said the AMWU's WA state conference resolved to call on all unions and Unions WA to force the state government to hold a royal commission into 457 visas. Later, the MUA conference passed a resolution to this effect. The AMWU national conference resolved to exert similar pressure on the federal government, calling on Amanda Vanstone to step down in the interim.
Van Harte told a tale of exploitation and deceit. He said that the labour hire firm that brought him to Australia warned him, above all, not to speak to unions.
During discussion, one seafarer jumped to his feet and shouted, "If they want to have a go at these blokes [457 visa holders] then they'll have to come through us first". Another exclaimed, "If people are good enough to work here, they're good enough to live here and they're good enough to get Australian wages and conditions".
Fremantle Port Authority delegate Ron Hayward said, "I've never heard anything like it. We've got to get the word out into the community [about the exploitation of guest labour]".
The conference committed to trying to organise workers on 457 visas, and to working with ethnic and community groups to support and defend these workers' rights. It called on the union movement and the state and federal ALP to support a campaign to abolish 457 visas in favour of an immigration policy that would grant full citizenship rights.
The conference also pledged solidarity with the workers and people of the Philippines.