Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of thousands of FedEx workers and their families. Their livelihoods are being put at risk by the ideological and callous actions of their employer at a time when delivery companies like FedEx have made record profits. FedEx reported a record profit of US$5 billion in June, yet they're refusing to come to the table in Australia. FedEx workers presented a very reasonable offer to provide their families with basic financial security. FedEx have not only refused to consider that offer but have also begun to lock their own workers out of their workplace.

This government—and I'm looking at Ministers Fletcher, Hume and Stoker—loves to get up in this place and talk about union thuggery and worker thuggery, but here's your thuggery right here. Thuggery is a multibillion dollar multinational company refusing to negotiate in good faith with its workers and locking them out for engaging in legal and protected industrial action. When a multibillion dollar multinational company attacks Australian workers and the Australian government refuses to say a word about it, the Australian government is complicit in that thuggery. When is the Morrison government going to give a damn about and stand by Australian workers and stop taking the side of thugs like FedEx, Amazon and Qantas?