Post by lennie on Mar 25, 2007 7:46:48 GMT -5
Gillard urges Hockey to front commission
from ABC Online
The Federal Opposition says Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey should give evidence at the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) inquiry into car parts manufacturer Tristar.
The company's managing director, Chen Hong, says Mr Hockey told him to make workers redundant and re-hire them on individual contracts.
Mr Hockey has denied the accusation but Labor's industrial relations spokeswoman Julia Gillard says he should personally appear before the commission.
"If Mr Hockey said this, it would be a breach of the law," she said.
"Mr Hockey's denied it. Now, if he wants to be taken seriously, he has to front the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission and deny it under oath there."
The Industrial Relations Minister maintains he told Tristar to pay the workers their full entitlements if there was not any work for them.
Mr Hockey says he did not encourage the company to break the law.
Speaking on Channel 10, he has reiterated his denial and questioned the power of the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission over the case.
But he has left open the possibility that he will provide a statement to the state IRC.
"I'm happy to do it on air, I'm happy to do it wherever, making the point that the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission is behaving like a circus," he said.
"Of course, it can't make any decision because it has no jurisdiction. It is just conducting an inquiry.
"The real action is in the Federal Court, where our watchdog, the Office of Workplace Services, is in there batting for the workers to get their entitlement.
"We're not going to let the management of this company sidetrack us from the obligation to ensure the workers are paid in full."
The IRC is investigating claims Tristar's workers at at Marrickville, in Sydney's inner-west, have no work to do and are being kept on staff until a redundancy agreement promising them four weeks' pay for each year of service expires later this year.
Now lets all sit back and watch how Hockey gets himself off the hook on this one, bet he does.
from ABC Online
The Federal Opposition says Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey should give evidence at the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) inquiry into car parts manufacturer Tristar.
The company's managing director, Chen Hong, says Mr Hockey told him to make workers redundant and re-hire them on individual contracts.
Mr Hockey has denied the accusation but Labor's industrial relations spokeswoman Julia Gillard says he should personally appear before the commission.
"If Mr Hockey said this, it would be a breach of the law," she said.
"Mr Hockey's denied it. Now, if he wants to be taken seriously, he has to front the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission and deny it under oath there."
The Industrial Relations Minister maintains he told Tristar to pay the workers their full entitlements if there was not any work for them.
Mr Hockey says he did not encourage the company to break the law.
Speaking on Channel 10, he has reiterated his denial and questioned the power of the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission over the case.
But he has left open the possibility that he will provide a statement to the state IRC.
"I'm happy to do it on air, I'm happy to do it wherever, making the point that the New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission is behaving like a circus," he said.
"Of course, it can't make any decision because it has no jurisdiction. It is just conducting an inquiry.
"The real action is in the Federal Court, where our watchdog, the Office of Workplace Services, is in there batting for the workers to get their entitlement.
"We're not going to let the management of this company sidetrack us from the obligation to ensure the workers are paid in full."
The IRC is investigating claims Tristar's workers at at Marrickville, in Sydney's inner-west, have no work to do and are being kept on staff until a redundancy agreement promising them four weeks' pay for each year of service expires later this year.
Now lets all sit back and watch how Hockey gets himself off the hook on this one, bet he does.
