News Release

SA WOMEN TELL HOWARD - STAND UP FOR AUSTRALIAN JOBS AND STOP THE QANTAS SALE

6 February 2007

South Australian women have expressed strong opposition to the sale of Qantas and are calling on the Howard Government to stand up for Australian jobs.

A recent poll of marginal electorates including Kingston and Wakefield found 84% of women opposed the takeover of Qantas by a group of local and foreign investors and that 83% of women also thought that the Howard Government was not doing enough to prevent Australian businesses being sold overseas and jobs lost offshore.

ACTU President, Sharan Burrow will meet with SA women representatives today at a breakfast of Emily's List members in Adelaide this morning (8am Strathmore Hotel, 129 North Terrace, City).  Emily's List was established 10 years ago to support women to enter state and federal Parliaments).

Ms Burrow will also address a lunchtime meeting with women in the seat of Kingston today.

Ms Burrow says, "the Howard Government is putting corporate profits ahead of the jobs of Qantas workers.  But worse still, the Federal Government's unfair IR laws will add even more pain to any job losses among Qantas workers - especially for women."

"There are more than 200 Qantas workers in South Australia, and about 150 of those are check-in and administrative staff - many of them are women working part-time."

"They are worried about their jobs, especially since the company refuses to make clear guarantees that local jobs will be protected and that the entitlements of workers will be maintained".

SA Unions Secretary, Janet Giles, says the community is worried that the federal government is sending their jobs offshore.

"Polling in marginal seats, including Kingston and Wakefield in South Australia shows that people don't want Qantas sold to foreign interests, and for jobs to be sent offshore."

"They don't want Qantas' customer service reduced to an Indian Call Centre - they want local Australians looking after their needs.  And they want safety to remain a priority, with maintenance conducted in Australia instead of a cut price offshore site where quality may not be guaranteed".