News Release

 

STRONG TURNOUT AT SA RALLIES

28 June 2006

Some 12,000 strong South Australian workers and their families have voiced their protest at the Federal Government's draconian work laws at rallies across Adelaide today.

Hundreds more are expected to do the same at a rally in Whyalla at 4.30 this afternoon.

SA Unions Secretary, Janet Giles says the strong response shows that people won't forget about the government's attack on their rights.

"People are beginning to feel the pain of the new work laws.  They are losing pay, losing rights and their jobs are increasingly insecure.  We expect the campaign against these laws to get even stronger as the federal election approaches, despite the Prime Minister's hope that the issue will simply go away", Ms Giles says.

"SA Unions is committed to a strategic campaign targeting three key marginal Liberal seats that will be instrumental in ousting the federal government - and with it, these awful work laws."

Some 500 people attended an early morning protest outside the office of Kingston MP, Kym Richardson. About 600 sent a strong message to the member for Makin, Trish Draper, and another 800 took their concerns to the member for Wakefield, David Fawcett."

"These three MP supported the laws that are hurting working families.  As a result, they cannot expect any support from electors," Ms Giles says.

A strong 10,000 people crowded the centre of Adelaide.  A march from Victoria Square to Federal Government offices in Grenfell Street gridlocked traffic as marchers at the head of the rally amassed outside the office of Workplace Services and office of the Employee Advocate, while the tail of the rally was still in Victoria Square.

Protestors were spurred by comments by Business SA that 6000 businesses were lined up for training courses on how to apply the new workplace laws.

"That's 6000 companies wanting to know how they can strip employees of their rights."

"The revelation by Business SA belies the Federal Government's claim that business isn't interested in the new work laws", she says.

"It is strange in the extreme to think that the government has passed work laws that business isn't interested in applying.  Business SA has revealed the truth - that business is champing at the bit and workers can expect life to ge tougher," Ms Giles says.