Fed: Costello urges TriStar employees to return to work

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2001
Fed: Costello urges TriStar employees to return to work

CANBERRA, Aug 3 AAP - Treasurer Peter Costello today urged unionists from a Sydney
car component company to stop a damaging strike and return to work.

Mr Costello said the actions of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) in
organising a strike at TriStar Steering and Suspension was irresponsible.

He said the strike, and the actions of the AMWU, were undermining efforts by Prime
Minister John Howard to encourage the Mitsubishi company to retain and upgrade its factory
in Adelaide.

"The union that's involved ... has now put something like 10,000 people out of work,"

he told Perth radio station 6PR.

"I think the union ought to cease supporting this strike.

"I urge the employees to go back to work so that they can resume the production of
supplies so that 10,000 other Australians can resume their jobs."

TriStar employees have voted to continue their strike action as part of an enterprise
bargaining dispute over a union-controlled fund to protect employee entitlements.

The strike has led to the standing down of employees at three of the nation's four
car manufacturing plants.

Mr Costello said the strike would make it difficult for Mr Howard to win support from
Mitsubishi to keep open its Adelaide plant, during a meeting with the company's chiefs
in Japan today.

He said any inducements offered to the company would be undermined by the TriStar strike.

"There's no point in offering companies inducements, any kind of inducement, if they
can't keep their factory open," he said.

"When the prime minister says Australia is a good place for them to continue their
investment, they're going to say to him how can you say that when the whole car industry
has been closed down by one irresponsible union?"

Mr Costello said Opposition Leader Kim Beazley should condemn the strike action, and
also urge the employees to return to work.

AAP sw/daw/apm

KEYWORD: CARS COSTELLO

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