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Issue No. 236 | 03 September 2004 |
Interest Overboard
Interview: True Matilda Politics: State of Play Industrial: Capital Dilemmas Unions: Rhodes Scholars National Focus: Rennovating the Lodge International: People Power Economics: A Bit Rich History: Mine Shafts Safety: Sick Of Fighting Organising: Building a Wave Poetry: Anger In The Bush(es) Review: The Battle Of Algiers Culture: The Word On The Street
Sprung: Howard Liberal with Truth Health Warning for Bank Robbers Offensive Toilets Threaten Pupils Telstra Dials Workplace Acquiescence Privatisation Debate Energised
The Soapbox Politics Postcard The Locker Room Postcard
Co-operating At All Costs Fan Mail All Good Except You
Labor Council of NSW |
News Freespirit in Hiding
Reports from WA suggest DIMIA has "suspended" Freespirit's right to "sponsor" guest workers after Workers Online blew the whistle on its treatment of 29 South African tradesmen. Former clients have reported the suspension but Immigration officials and the company, itself, were in "neither confirm nor deny" mode, last week. Freespirit boss, Paul Rigby, ignored repeated Workers Online requests for information on his company's status, delivered through both his Sydney office and his WA public relations representative, Errol Consedine. A Canberra-based DIMIA spokeperson at least returned our calls. "We can't comment on the status of individual companies due to privacy," she said. "When breaches are suspected we will carry out investigations and, where it is found a breach has occurred, the company will be asked to respond. Consideration will then be given as to whether their sponsorship arrangements should be cancelled." Freespirit hit the headlines when Workers Online revealed, in April, it was paying imported boilermakers, pipe fitters and welders effective rates of $10-13 an hour. AMWU WA secretary, Jock Ferguson, called the operation "pyramid labour hire" and described it as a threat to the living standards of every worker in Australia. The South Africans walked off sites around the state to protest their treatment by Freespirit. One, a boilermaker, said he had been earning around $13 an hour at Port Hedland, alongside Australians getting $44 an hour for the same work. Another, Ronald Oliveira from Johannesburg, likened their situation to "slavery". One worker who went public was sacked from his job at a Perth engineering shop the following day. Others said they were being charged 144 percent interest on $5000 upfront loans to cover airfares and immigration paperwork. When Freespirit eventually agreed to discuss the workers' situations it demanded indemnities against backpay claims, filed by the AMWU, from each of the South Africans. The AMWU helped tradesmen who wanted to see out their four-year working visas to ditch Freespirit and sign up with alternative sponsors. Other organisations linked to the exploitation of South African workers included the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Johannesburg-based ABA.
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