Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Three hundred and sixty-five days ago, ExxonMobil's Longford maintenance workers were sacked by ExxonMobil and offered their jobs back with a significant pay cut. Esso, which is one of the largest companies in the world—yet paid no tax in this country last year and won't for the foreseeable future—awarded their maintenance contract to UGL. UGL said to these 200 workers, 'Sure, you can have your jobs back, but you're going to have to face pay cuts and a roster that is not friendly to family.' This happened 365 days ago.

The agreement that they tried to force these workers onto wasn't voted on by these 200 workers. In a gaming of the system, it was an agreement that was voted on in Western Australia by fewer than five people. This gaming of the system has to stop. These workers have been out on the lawn for 365 days, yet their local member, Darren Chester, the member for Gippsland, has said things behind private doors but done nothing in this place to help them out. The Liberal-National parties have done nothing to help them out. They've not picked up the phone and called ExxonMobil and said, 'End this.' They've not stood with these workers on the picket line and said, 'We will work with you.' I acknowledge the work of the AWU, the ETU and the AMWU for standing with these workers, saying enough is enough. It's time that these people got their jobs back.