Senator Eric Abetz

Shadow Employment and Workplace Relations Minister, Senator Eric Abetz says ”Today’s decision by striking postal workers to return to work tomorrow in NSW, QLD and the ACT is welcomed, however if the workers themselves decided that their strike action was inappropriate, one wonders why Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard was incapable of reaching the same conclusion”.

“Ms Gillard should use the powers she has under the Act and intervene immediately to stop the remaining industrial action by the CEPU which is set to continue to disrupt postal services in many parts of the country”.

“Clearly the CEPU’s industrial campaign is opportunistic and designed to inflict maximum disruption on the Australian public”, says Senator Abetz.

“Despite today’s partial back down by the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union their executive needs to explain to the Australian public why they could not have delayed this industrial action until after the busy Christmas period”.

“Significantly, of the 35 thousand employees at Australia Post, just 25 percent of them belong to the union and less than 50% of those voted to support the current industrial action.

“It is apparent that the union knows that by staging this series of rolling strikes over Christmas they are putting maximum pressure on Australia Post in an attempt to force them to buckle to their demands”.

“Ms Gillard promised to foster a more cooperative approach to workplace relations but clearly the Deputy Prime Minister is all talk and no action”, according to Senator Abetz.

“Julia Gillard’s failure to intervene in the escalating number of industrial disputes is a signal to the Trade Unions that Labor has given the union movement the green light to hold the Australian public to ransom in the New Year”.

“Ms Gillard’s continued inaction is turning the industrial relations clock backwards, allowing the unions to dictate the IR agenda in 2010 at the expense of the Australian public”.