Hart seeks a fair go for workers

Federal Member for Bass Ross Hart will today be speaking about the unfair decision that has seen some of the hard workers of ACL Bearings left for years without their proper entitlements, despite multiple attempts to rectify this wrong.

Mr Hart said that that Tasmanian workers devote their heart and soul to their work place.

“The Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash demonstrates a lack of respect in response to these workers, and has decided not to give them and their families a fair go with respect to their basic work place entitlements”, Mr Hart said.

“All these workers are asking for is a fair go. The Minister has decided that the difference between fairness and this decision is a day, those on one side of it continue to lose and those on the other side are treated fairly. This is completely at the Ministers discretion and Minister Cash, has in my opinion let workers down.

“If I had given much of my working life to ACL Bearings and was let go without receiving my entitlements, only to see the company all be it under new management up and running again. I would be pretty upset.

“We are talking about what’s fair and equitable and this Minister has the discretion to say to these workers that the Government understands their situation and is willing to do not only what’s fair but what’s right, despite the working of the legislation.

These ACL workers were part of a group that continued to work to support the Australian automotive industry despite the insolvency of their employer. A Labor Government introduced changes to make for fairer treatment of workers under the Fair Entitlement Guarantee (FEG) scheme and the fact that these workers continued to serve ACL through the transition between government schemes means that they should be treated as if they were made redundant under the FEG scheme”, Mr Hart said.
ROSS HART MP MEMBER FOR BASS