The Lefties look the other way whenever it is explained how Bull S.'s corrupt Commo unions forced Ford, Holden, and Toyota to leave Australia.

Bull S.'s corrupt Commo evil anti Australian unions are forcing industry to leave Australia.

Are the Chinese paying the unions to do this ? Massive corruption!!!




Unions only have themselves to blame for car factory closures
Robert Gottliebsen Business columnist Melbourne The Australian  8:15AM October 16, 2017
   
https://preview.ibb.co/hQsrWR/9d48d2d5607dd4e4d15ac85604a1efdb.jpg
A staff member at the Toyota manufacturing plant in Altona, Melbourne, where the end of manufacturing resulted in the loss of 2600 jobs. Photo: AAP

While all of us feel sorry for the personal plight of the General Motors, Toyota and Ford motor workers, don’t forget that it was the attitude of the workers of 2012-14 and their unions that was the main cause of the closures. It is both a personal and national disaster.

While the unions and workers have only themselves to blame, the situation was not helped by a government in Canberra that believed the mining boom meant we did not need a motor industry. In addition, as I describe below, both General Motors and Toyota in Australia were hit hard by the so called “free trade” agreements with countries like the US and Thailand.

All three motor companies had what I called at the time ”industrial agreements from hell” in which not only were there generous wages but, more disastrously, the unions, not the mangers, controlled the shop floor.

In June 2013, I wrote these words: “Make no mistake, General Motors in the US is not bluffing. If there is no new labour agreement with its Australian workforce within six weeks then Australian manufacturing will cease.”

http://ffxapm-a.akamaihd.net/video/3910869709001/201601/3910869709001_4729711528001_4729018326001-vs.jpg?pubId=3910869709001
GMH managing director Mike Devereux announces the Holden closure back in December 2013. Photo: Calum Robertson

The then-GMH Australia managing director Mike Devereux had made this clear to an American Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Melbourne. Unfortunately the workers and the unions preferred to lose their jobs rather than adopt modern work practices and return control of the shop floor to managers. Accordingly I was right. General Motors in Detroit made the closure decision some six weeks later but the announcement was delayed until December 2013.

The managers knew they would also lose their jobs and had fought desperately to convince the unions and workers that the axe was about to fall. After the six weeks deadline had passed they started to make progress but it was too late.

Why had the game changed? First the governments of both parties had subsidised motor making, understanding that in part they were covering the cost of the work practices. Second, the mining boom had boosted the dollar, making the cost of those work practices even higher but also leaving the Coalition less willing to subsidise. A series of unhelpful statements by the then-Treasurer Joe Hockey sent a message (probably incorrectly) to Detroit that he did not care whether General Motors in Australia shut or not.

In the case of Ford, the axe had fallen earlier and with no warning. Crazy Ford workers had actually gone on strike to get a similar “agreement from hell” to GMH. The Ford workers “won” but for both the foolish Ford managers and the workers, signing that agreement was their death warrant.

https://preview.ibb.co/hJYjJ6/2f5d17d303f44f1faa7e497dfd081773.jpg
Workers gather to watch the last car to be manufactured at Toyota’s Altona plant leave the site earlier this month. Photo: Tony Gough

Toyota was more complex. The Japanese made a serious mistake in taking old-style, inflexible people from its Port Melbourne plant to the new plant in Altona. They foolishly signed an agreement, which gave vast areas of plant control to the unions

With the Ford closure and General Motors thinking about closing, Toyota started to ponder leaving Australia. Unbelievably the unions responded by going to the courts to block a vote on changes to rosters and holidays.

Toyota executives in Nagoya said: “Why should we have a fight with Australian unions?” It was clear in Japan that Australian workers did not understand what was happening in the world. There are lots of other countries where workers want employment.

To be fair, in the case of Toyota there were other factors.

The first Toyota closure reason was actually the so-called “free trade” agreements that Australia signed. Probably these agreements had more of an effect on Japanese executives in Nagoya than anything else.


And this sick sorry saga of blatant union thuggish corruption continues overleaf

And this sick sorry saga of blatant union thuggish corruption continues...

The Japanese could not understand why we kept signing “free trade” agreements that were not free trade agreements at all. John Howard signed the Thailand free trade agreement, which allowed free entry of Thai motor parts into Australia but whacked huge tariffs and other restrictions on exports of Australian motor parts and cars into Thailand. We were conned.

General Motors in Australia complained that the so-called US “free trade” agreement prevented unfettered access of Australian cars to the United States. Conned again.

In 2013-14, the Japanese believed that the looming Korean — and indeed Japanese — “free trade” deals would see the Australian motor industry unfairly disadvantaged once again.

Australia could overcome the effect of these “free trade” deals with massive subsidies. The Japanese could never work it out and assumed that Australians were either stupid or did not want a motor industry.

There is no doubt the Japanese would never have invested in Australia had they known the dollar was to rise in the wake if the mining investment boom.

It should be remembered that industrial agreements like those in the motor industry were prevalent across Australia. Qantas, the building industry, the steel industry (BlueScope and Arrium) and the food industry all had them.

Qantas made itself a modern airline thanks to chief executive Alan Joyce and his chairman Leigh Clifford; BlueScope did a similar exercise with top managers while Arrium had to go broke to make the changes. Some progress has been made in food thanks to tough action by the main customers, the supermarkets, but there is further to go

In commercial building industry the government is trying the overcome weak managers via legislation.

The paradox in the motor industry is that whereas scale was the main problem plaguing Australian motor making for most of the industry’s life, by 2012-14 that was ceasing to be a problem thanks to robots and the need for smaller scale specialised plants. Our time had come but we were too silly to take advantage.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/robert-gottliebsen/unions-only-have-themselves-to-blame-for-car-factory-closures/news-story/6730f15e875cdfe5965267243255098d


Comments to tickle the Lefties' tonsils

Christine 12 minutes ago
Having worked in the auto industry & having had to deal with the union bosses - I can clearly attest that they operated in a parallel universe.  They did not grasp the basics of business, in that you need to make a profit before you can pay the unrealistic ransom demands imposed on the auto companies by the unions.  Intimidation, threats, product sabotage, shut downs....they were a normal part of how the unions operated.  They helped to send the auto industry & their workers jobs to the wall.  The unions are very good at that - no matter the industry!

Wayne 13 minutes ago
Previously Robert had written that the mining boom caused some of this. Tradies doing work for mining jobs were well paid. Unions pulled the 'equal work must have equal pay' message to get higher rates for the manufacturing industry. While the mining industry could afford this, the manufacturing industry could not.

Raymond 20 minutes ago
About 25 years ago Canada's largest coal mining company held a meeting of all employees asking the employees to make wage concessions to save the company from closing down.   Encouraged by the United Mine Workers of America union officials the men rejected the requests, believing that the company was bluffing.   At midnight  the mine closed down and everybody except the union officials lost their jobs.    New competition from Australian coal exporters was a factor but the killer was that the socialist government of the province of British Columbia poured heavy subsidies into starting up a new coal mine further north and the government-subsidized competition halved the exports of the established private enterprise coal company and sent them broke.

Joan 28 minutes ago
Unions kill businesses. That’s a fact.
P.S. and Socialist Governments that give them all the power they need.

Paul 32 minutes ago
It is sad and sorry that it has come to this in Australia. The nation could have retained the capacity to continue with manufacture of electric vehicles well into the future, but all is lost to overseas industrial nations.

What is left here? We have ceeded enormous advantage to China and India with their ability to build new power stations. We have lost countless manufacturing businesses either through closure or overseas take over.

We are seeing hoardes of migrants and attempted assylum seekers gravitating here which has placed huge strains on our crumbling infrastructure, roads and suburbs. Hospital services are strained beyond belief and health funds are fraying at the seams because of the drop out rates of members.

Power and energy prices are out of control as against inflation. The crazy thing is that anyone in politics (with the talent and ability to do so) who tried or tries to rectify the causes of these problems is howled down and never able to secure a lasting mandate to set things right.

I'm sorry I thought we explained the fact it was a multifactorial issue earlier, why a new thread?

BH rocks into the standard Lefty denial mode.

Not very convincing but then Political Correct arguments are never very convincing and are based on - If you don't agree with me THEN YOU ARE WRONG!!!!

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 10:26am:

I'm sorry I thought we explained the fact it was a multifactorial issue earlier, why a new thread?

juliar does whatever the Young Liberals tell him (and pay him) to do.

He needs to supplement his Mcdonald's income.

Posting Liberal Party propaganda on internet forums helps pay the bills.

I wonder what Turnbull would think if he found out it was cash in hand.

And now the gecko troll is trying to sound intelligent.

juliar wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 10:29am:

BH rocks into the standard Lefty denial mode. Not very convincing but then Political Correct arguments are never very convincing and are based on - If you don't agree with me THEN YOU ARE WRONG!!!!

I never said the unins aren't to blame. My position is that the collapse of the Australian car industry involves many factors, merely one of which is union involvement

Others would include

1) Small market
2) Change in Aussie car buying markets from just buying Falcodores to SUVs etc and the failure/inability  of Holden and Ford Australia to diversify

juliar wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 10:34am:

And now the gecko troll is trying to sound intelligent.

Would you like Newspoll with that?

https://i.ndtvimg.com/mt/2013-12/McDonalds_AP_360x270.jpg

54-46   ;)

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 10:41am:

juliar wrote on Oct 16th, 2017 at 10:34am: And now the gecko troll is trying to sound intelligent. Would you like Newspoll with that? https://i.ndtvimg.com/mt/2013-12/McDonalds_AP_360x270.jpg 54-46   ;)

;D ;D ;D ;D

The Japanese could not understand why we kept signing “free trade” agreements that were not free trade agreements at all. John Howard signed the Thailand free trade agreement, which allowed free entry of Thai motor parts into Australia but whacked huge tariffs and other restrictions on exports of Australian motor parts and cars into Thailand. We were conned.


Not that there is any credibility with Juliar's post, but seems like another own goal.  Yes, John Howard is responsible for getting us conned.

stunspore wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 10:56am:

The Japanese could not understand why we kept signing “free trade” agreements that were not free trade agreements at all. John Howard signed the Thailand free trade agreement, which allowed free entry of Thai motor parts into Australia but whacked huge tariffs and other restrictions on exports of Australian motor parts and cars into Thailand. We were conned. Not that there is any credibility with Juliar's post, but seems like another own goal.  Yes, John Howard is responsible for getting us conned.

Absolutely, add that to the multi-factorial nature of the problem.

And yet all companies have strongly claimed that unions and employment conditions had nothing to do with it but loss of subsidisation and Hockey telling them to leave did.

Hockey told GM to go and they said OK. This left Toyota alone and without the common shared infrastructure needed for them to survive. They had no choice and it had nothing to do with unions.

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 10:37am:

juliar wrote on Oct 16th, 2017 at 10:29am: BH rocks into the standard Lefty denial mode. Not very convincing but then Political Correct arguments are never very convincing and are based on - If you don't agree with me THEN YOU ARE WRONG!!!! I never said the unins aren't to blame. My position is that the collapse of the Australian car industry involves many factors, merely one of which is union involvement Others would include 1) Small market 2) Change in Aussie car buying markets from just buying Falcodores to SUVs etc and the failure/inability  of Holden and Ford Australia to diversify

Ford and holden consistently made 3rd rate cars.
This happened for 40 years.  Their sales dropped.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 11:11am:

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Oct 16th, 2017 at 10:37am: juliar wrote on Oct 16th, 2017 at 10:29am: BH rocks into the standard Lefty denial mode. Not very convincing but then Political Correct arguments are never very convincing and are based on - If you don't agree with me THEN YOU ARE WRONG!!!! I never said the unins aren't to blame. My position is that the collapse of the Australian car industry involves many factors, merely one of which is union involvement Others would include 1) Small market 2) Change in Aussie car buying markets from just buying Falcodores to SUVs etc and the failure/inability  of Holden and Ford Australia to diversify Ford and holden consistently made 3rd rate cars. This happened for 40 years.  Their sales dropped.

Add that as well.  Part of tha t was the protection of the industry and everyone just buying their cars, no need to innovate and be good.

Multifaceted BH is back tracking and copying bits of Rob Bott's accurate discussion to try to save face. Classic politically correct Lefty pumping the old - If you don't agree with me THEN YOU ARE WRONG!!!!

Rob Bott has got it just so RIGHT and blows the corrupt union parasites out of the water.

If it can be shown the Chinese ARE paying the unions to close down ALL industry in Australia then it will be an election disaster for the unions' puppet Bull S. No doubt Mrs Cash and the Fair Go are on the case.


And Bull S.'s corrupt Commo unions caused ALL this to occur!!!!!

http://i66.tinypic.com/sovkw3.jpg


A very clear and precise article outlining the facts and the huge mistakes made by the workers, the unions, the Governments and management. The highlight of this article proves that the unions are responsible for a huge percentage of blame in this saga.

Post GFC, the big three US car makers were bailed out by the people, this transformed the industry to change, its wage structures and the unions involvment, but it did learn from this.

NO, there was no bluffing from GM head quarters because it had to answer to the US tax payer, it was clear as crystal that unless there was something they could take back to Detroit, Holden was closing down. It's a shame really, the unions and our executives became so reliant on subsidies that they didn't make cars Australians wanted to buy.

Oh, the same thing happened to Ansett, unions destroyed that company and thousands of jobs, but somehow it's all the government's fault.

Union vandals are part of the problem. One remembers them driving Leyland Australia out of business in the 70s.

However, Australians did their bit by buying Australian made cars since 1978. Once it became fashionable to bag the local product, the end game began. One is not saying the Holden was an equal to a Mercedes, except in the value for money stakes.

Apparently Holden made 100,000 Commodores each year around 2002-04. Now it is 40,000. That low a production can't be sustained by any mainstream manufacturer.

The only god outcome from this is the unions have less members and less income. With the amount of protective legislation, and protective measures, awards and the FWC there is for employees, the sooner they are powerless the better.

Doesn't matter. Unions get bulk of their money from super funds and insurance policies now.

Not backtracking, just being reasonable and logical.

BH is wriggling and wobbling as he tries to extricate himself from the quick sand he stepped into.  BH think before you post.

That's the problem with politically correct types, they are so rigid and follow such rigid rules that they simply cannot cope with the fluid flexibility of the real world that is far from rigid.

Lol
so by stating its a multifactorial problem with many causes I am being rigid, whereas the flexible position is to just blame unions.

BH U R just using the shotgun approach hoping you just might hit something.

and most importantly U R trying to change the subject away from unions killing Aust industry - a very common Lefty tactic.

juliar wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 8:42pm:

BH U R just using the shotgun approach hoping you just might hit something. and most importantly U R trying to change the subject away from unions killing Aust industry - a very common Lefty tactic.

Do you have an issue with you pants and spontaneous combustion.

DNA, I am just trying to help the politically correct BH extricate himself from the quicksand he has naively stumbled into.

juliar wrote on Oct 17^th, 2017 at 7:47am:

DNA, I am just trying to help the politically correct BH extricate himself from the quicksand he has naively stumbled into.

So to help me would you care to provide evidence whereby I am wrong about it being anything other than unions?

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Oct 17^th, 2017 at 9:24am:

juliar wrote on Oct 17th, 2017 at 7:47am: DNA, I am just trying to help the politically correct BH extricate himself from the quicksand he has naively stumbled into. So to help me would you care to provide evidence whereby I am wrong about it being anything other than unions?

Good luck!!!

::) ::) ::)

philperth2010 wrote on Oct 17^th, 2017 at 9:27am:

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Oct 17th, 2017 at 9:24am: juliar wrote on Oct 17th, 2017 at 7:47am: DNA, I am just trying to help the politically correct BH extricate himself from the quicksand he has naively stumbled into. So to help me would you care to provide evidence whereby I am wrong about it being anything other than unions? Good luck!!! ::) ::) ::)

Meanwhile, at Young Liberals' headquarters:

http://wikybrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/011317_0754_Unexplainab10.jpg

The politically correct BH is launching another one of his endless circular arguments so favored by the politically correct as it avoids having to think.  I'll leave BH to spin endlessly.

The gecko troll is acting strangely as he has stopped his dumb copy and Xing out drongo act. Now he is just displaying why he is normally ignored as irrelevant.

In the mean time which will be the next industry that the Chinese will pay the corrupt unions to force out of Australia with their extortion and sabotage so the work will go to China ?

But leaving Lefty attempts at changing the subject behind and getting right back on topic.

Note below how that ACTU sheila trots out the old labor furphy that the coalition closed down the car industry. 

The unions were the principle parties causing the closures particularly with Toyota where their union intervened between the company and the workers in an attempt to dominate the company.

As a consequence the factory closed.

Likewise with Ford and Holden where old plants simply could not be rejuvenated and required substantial capital investment with an antagonistic labour force and declining market share.

Why would Ford and Holden bother to stay in Australia when they were constantly being opposed by a very hostile ratbag corrupt unionists ? So they were FORCED to leave Australia by the corrupt unions.

And Mrs Cash is putting the wind up the corrupt unions as she zeroes in on the unions misusing SUPER funds.




Union membership hits record low
EWIN HANNAN The Australian12:00AM May 4, 2017

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/09/03/05/43DA9F7500000578-4847738-A_spokesman_for_the_Minister_for_Employment_Michaelia_Cash_said_-a-2_1504411470039.jpg
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash (centre): “the union movement has moved away from its core business”. Photo: AAP

Union membership across the workforce has fallen to a record low, with fewer than one in 10 private-sector workers now belonging to a union. Private-sector union membership fell from 11.1 per cent to 9.3 per cent across two years, while public-sector membership declined slightly to 38 per cent, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data revealed.

Just 4 per cent of employees aged 15 to 19, and 7 per cent of workers aged 20 to 24 were union members in their main job in August last year. A slim majority — 51 per cent — of 1.5 million union members were female, while 20 per cent of professionals were members, the highest proportion of any grouping.

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the figures showed “more Australians than ever” had chosen not to be union members.

“This has coincided with the union movement moving away from its core business of representing workers and instead acting as a political movement that is more concerned with partisan campaigning,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Most Australian workers are unlikely to feel attracted to a movement whose leadership thinks it is acceptable to break the law and which engages in constant political games on behalf of the Labor Party.”

But ACTU secretary Sally McManus attacked the Turnbull government for constantly seeking to undermine the union movement.

http://www.catholica.com.au/breakingnews/images/SallyMcManus_240x283.jpg
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus. Photo: AAP

“A government that cared about growing inequality would be supporting their union movement,’’ she said. “Instead the Turnbull government uses every opportunity to do the opposite and to side with corporations who already have too much power.

“This has gone too far. We will be leading a movement to swing the pendulum back and an essential part of this will be a growing union movement.”

Ms McManus said the government had “overseen the offshoring and replacing of unionised jobs, such as the demise of the whole Australian car industry and the replacing of jobs with workers on visas earning $2 an hour in seafaring”.

The membership fall came as unions vowed to fight attempts by employers to extend recent cuts in penalty rates to almost 100,000 employees of licensed clubs.

Clubs Australia previously failed to convince the Fair Work Commission to cut the weekend and public holiday penalty rates of industry employees.

However, the commission left open the option of revoking the clubs award and transferring coverage of the employees to the hospitality award.

In a submission to the commission this week, Clubs Australia said it favoured the option as it did not believe employers in the club industry should pay higher penalty rates than those in the hospitality industry. It said there were two possible consequences of maintaining higher penalty rates in the club industry: more casuals to offset possible higher costs and the contracting out of services to employers operating under lower cost structures.

http://www.unitedvoice.org.au/sites/default/files/images/JoSchofield-WEBLeaderPagePic2.png
United Voice’s Joanne Schofield said it was “inconceivable” Clubs Australia, having failed in its original case, should be given another opportunity to pursue penalty rate cuts.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/industrial-relations/union-membership-hits-record-low/news-story/489e5ba953baaf345bf5f4d851067223

Now the corrupt Commo unions are exposed as the grasping gruesome thuggish parasites feeding on the goodness of Australia that they really are.




The true culprits at Holden are the unions
TheAustralian 12:00AM December 12, 2013

THE outrageous assertions by the unions and the Labor Party that General Motors' decision to leave Australia was a result of government policy is an insult to any thinking Australian. To suggest that General Motors Holden made its decision yesterday is totally absurd. These decisions take months to make.

The true culprits are the unions and their enterprise bargaining over many years that has made their own members unemployed. The cost of wages is more than double what it should be.

It was a great effort by the unions to achieve high pay rates, but now there are no jobs. Any Australian who does not recognise the truth is sadly deficient in reasoning ability.
Ross Dillon, Scone, NSW


AUSTRALIAN car manufacturing labour costs are reportedly twice as high as in Europe and four times as high as in Asia. Nobody wants Australian workers earning Asian wages but productivity isn't just about wages.

Maritime workers famously insisted Australia's waterfront could never match Singapore's best practice regarding container movements per hour - until the stevedores were all sacked, replaced with novices and eventually rehired with a refreshed commitment to the job.

Better workplace processes lead to superior output and, therefore, increased productivity without sacrificing wages.

But the starting point is the elimination of unearned payments that derive from industrial blackmail.
Greg Jones, Kogarah, NSW


GENERAL Motors' decision to close the Holden car manufacturing industry in Australia is a golden opportunity for the country to keep this essential industry onshore.

The government should continue to subsidise Holden for the immediate future to keep Australian jobs and expertise as well as maintain economic stability.

The company should make new fuel-efficient verhicles to compete with overseas car manufacturers. Give it a go, Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, before it's too late.
K. Burns, Boronia, Vic


HOW dare federal Labor and South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill blame the Abbott government for Holden leaving Australia in 2017. Thank goodness no more taxpayers' money was thrown its way for another temporary halt to its eventual departure. In a global economy, instigated by Labor under Paul Keating, we must pay our way.

We have four years to plan and to create other industry, and we can do this. At least the Abbott government has saved taxpayers some money, which it can use to help fund a new venture.
Mary Farrington, Victor Harbor, SA


IF Jay Weatherill is so sure the car industry is such a good investment, why doesn't South Australia go it alone and invest in this golden opportunity?

Weatherill is after all the Premier of the state, at liberty to use South Australian taxes as he and his electorate see fit.

I'm sure at the next state election, his electorate will let him know what it thinks of that idea.
Ailsa Lennox, Hawthorne, Qld


JAY Weatherill's suggestion that I described support to the car industry as "intergenerational theft" is false ("Fate of Holden up to Abbott", 11/12).

The quote from my interview on Sky's Australian Agenda is: "The role of government is not to be there as the banker for private enterprise.

If that's the case we'll increasingly see Australia's debt increase and that's what happened under the Labor Party, and that is an example of intergenerational theft because you are taking away from future generations by burdening them with the interest bill on government debt."
Josh Frydenberg, Parliamentary Secretary to the PM, Camberwell, Vic

So no evidence? Cheers, idiot.

Paw politically correct BH is annoyed because nobody could be bothered going round in endless circles with him - you get dizzy doing that.

But it is time to bring the searing TRUTH about the union thugs closing down Ford, Holden, and Toyota as there are invidious attempts at promulgating the hoary old union chestnuts.

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Oct 18^th, 2017 at 9:15am:

So no evidence? Cheers, idiot.

Stop asking for the impossible from juliar. 

And there are faint tremors from somewhere in the overgrown abandoned world of political correctness.