Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about equity in this country and to share with the Chamber a situation that is occurring in Melbourne at the moment that absolutely exemplifies the proposition from Labor around equity. We know that wages growth has slowed to nearly nothing while profits have risen. We know that this is a concern. Labor continues to raise this concern. I received an email today from Donna Fredis who lives in the electorate of Lalor. She is a resident and a community member of my electorate. In her email she said: 'Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I'm not sure if you're aware the Dorevitch Pathology staff are on strike at the moment.' This is a resident in my electorate living the reality where an EBA has been allowed to be out of sync for years. The last EBA was signed 10 years ago. We've all been to pathology to have our blood taken, but people who take your blood at Dorevitch are now on strike because they cannot get a negotiated outcome on the ground. The Health Workers Union represent these workers and they're doing a terrific job. For the record, people should understand that 89 union members were locked out by Dorevitch Pathology on Monday, 7 August, in retaliation to a 500-member, 24-hour, protected stop-work action. Locked out members are not able to return to work and are currently not being paid.

This goes to the heart of what Labor is continually saying in this place. We have an equity issue. We have a system whereby unions, through collective bargaining, represent workers to negotiate a positive outcome. We know wages growth is low. We've had people in the establishment calling for wage growth. Here we have the classic case on the ground, with a union ready to negotiate in good faith, and what do they hear in terms of that negotiation? They hear from the CEO of Dorevitch, in a negotiation, that he doesn't have time for this and then he walked out. There was an offer put on the table of a zero per cent pay increase. They have an EBA that's 10 years old and zero per cent was put on the table. This is outrageous. These people are working for $21 an hour. Let's look at who else works for $21 an hour. These are the people who are taking our blood at pathology centres. Those who work for Dorevitch are the lowest paid people in the country doing this work. An IGA cashier earns $22.17 an hour. A grocery store stock clerk earns $23 an hour. The average salary for a cleaner is about $20 an hour. They receive a lower amount. Dorevitch staff have been offered zero. This is an outrage. On top of that, the workers have been locked out. These people need to be at work.

I call on Dorevitch to get to the table, get these negotiations done and find a fair settlement. I want to commend the HWU on their actions to protect workers and do these negotiations. I want to see companies in this country acknowledge that we have an equity issue, do their share and pull their weight to ensure that negotiations occur. They should not wait until something has been out of date for six years before they get to the table. We need unions in this country. The pendulum has swung too far. If we need wage growth, we need our unions on the ground, acting in a collective way and acting for our workers.

F ederation Chamber adjourned at 19 : 28