'Gong Skill Shortage - No Surpise

Date: 19 August 2004

The South Coast Labour Council claimed today that the skill shortages faced by many sectors of the regional economy were not really surprising given the short term attitude many employers, both public and private have toward skill formation and retention.

South Coast Labour Council Secretary, Arthur Rorris, said,

"It is good to see that many employers are now seriously questioning their attitude to attracting, training and retaining skilled workers."

"The skill shortages we now face are the direct result of years of short term planning in many industries where an obsession with casualising, outsourcing, downsizing and cherry picking of skilled workers replaced common sense."

"Unfortunately not all employers are reassessing their attitudes and mistakes of the past. A Wollongong City Council Manager only last week, for instance, commented on the 6 O'clock news that "...The role of Wollongong Council was to provide services not employment" in relation to their push to casualise their full time, professional lifeguards."

"It seems that everyone wants skilled workers but there are not enough employers who are prepared to accept their responsibility to train them and retain them."

"The union movement sincerely hopes that this skills shortage will lead to a change in attitudes and practices in those industries and we will work with industry representatives and government to assist in this process as we have done in the past."

"After all, we have twice the state average unemployment and more than 30% youth unemployment in the Illawarra".

"There is no shortage of young people who want to be trained, only a shortage of employers prepared to train them."

For further information

Contact:	Arthur Rorris
Union:	South Coast Labour Council
Phone:	0424 292888
Contact Mobile:	0409 223029

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