Firm sacks 35, keeps guest workers

A BALLARAT company has sacked 35 Australian labourers but kept on up to 25 Chinese welders it imported last year, sparking union anger over failing to train locals in vital trades.

....federal Labor MP for Ballarat Catherine King blamed Government policy for letting companies import foreigners while Australians got the sack.

"What we really want is local people trained and employed. It smacks of absolute policy failure by the Howard Government that a regional company like this one is in this position," she said.

Ballarat Trades Hall secretary Graeme Shearer said the company should be training its Australian workers rather than importing foreigners.

"We think it is a ploy to undercut their labour costs."

One of the sacked workers, who did not want to be named, said the decision to lay off Australian workers was "disgusting".

"We got an ironclad guarantee from the managing director last year that the Chinese would be the first to go if there was a downturn," he said.

Hello - isn't that the Howard government showing us our future...?