Abbott Considers Call For Foreign Truckies

• General News
• 16th May 2014

The TWU has branded a call for foreign truck drivers to be brought to Australia on temporary visas as a dodgy move by trucking companies to cut labour costs

And the union has warned hiring truck drivers unfamiliar with local conditions will lead to more accidents.

The TWU sounded the alarm as soon as it heard the Australian Trucking Association had asked the Abbott government to add truck driving to the list of occupations eligible for 457 visas.

The ATA, which represents trucking firms, says the foreign drivers are needed to fill a shortage of heavy vehicle drivers due the booming mining industry.

The Association is apparently the only organisation in the country that hasn't noticed the mining boom has ended.

Chief executive Stuart St Clair says the most critical truckie shortages are in western NSW, northern Queensland and parts of WA

He says there are no shortages in the cities but there are some critical shortages in more regional areas.

However,the TWU is suspicious of the trucking industry's motives.

We believe transport firms want to escape paying union rates to attract and retain drivers.

It's an easy path to an easy dollar for firms the ATA's represents.

Recent data shows that 34,500 people were looking for work in transport, postal and logistics.

If firms want to attract more heavy vehicle drivers they need to make the work more attractive.

There's no shortage of people looking for work in our industry.

They need to encourage more young people into the industry and provide traineeships.

The TWU has called upon the Abbott government to reject the ATA’s proposal.

The last thing we need is more foreign workers when daily major companies are closing down and sacking thousands of workers.