Abbott not up to the challenge

Date: 04 June 2001

Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Arch Bevis said today that the refusal by Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott to support an application for a safety net award for employees of the troubled telecommunications company One.Tel was just another example of mean nature of the Howard Government.

Mr Bevis was commenting on the refusal of Workplace Relations Minister, Tony Abbott, to support an application by the Community and Public Sector Union to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission for a safety net award that would provide One.Tel employees with redundancy entitlements.

"Tony Abbott's continued unwillingness to assist 1,4000 workers gain a couple of weeks redundancy payments is inexcusable. He hasn't even uttered one word to criticise the two principal directors of One.Tel who have walked away from the company with $7 million bonus payments each - even Peter Costello was willing to admit that was a bit rich.

"More and more workers fear being placed in the same situation as the One.Tel employees. Typically Tony Abbott will now brag about his taxpayer funded employee entitlement scheme and blame the NSW State Government for not contributing to his inadequate scheme. The fact is that the $14 million would go a long way to helping these workers.

"It seems that Tony Abbott thinks it is quite okay for the millionaire directors of One.Tel to walk away with millions of dollars while the taxpayer is left to pick up the tab.

"We have come to expect a continued attack by the Howard Government on workers terms and conditions of employment - for once a Howard Government minister has the opportunity to do something that will assist workers, and Tony Abbott is not up to the challenge," Mr Bevis said.

For further information

Contact:	David Tansey
Union:	ALP Federal
Phone:	(02) 6277 4518
Contact Mobile:	0416 136 164
Fax:	(02) 6277 8534
Email:	david.tansey@aph.gov.au
WWW:	http://www.alp.org.au

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