[Greens-Media] NSW Labor sucked into Coalition's attack on unions and public sector workers

[John Kaye]

NSW Labor sucked into Coalition's attack on unions and public sector workers

Media release: 28 May 2013

The O'Farrell government's legislation to cut employee and union representatives from the boards of state-owned corporations passed the NSW Upper House this evening with the support of the Labor party, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

The State Owned Corporations Legislation Amendment (Staff Directors) Bill 2013 removes staff-elected directors from the three state-owned ports corporations and union appointees from the boards of the electricity generators and wires and poles businesses as well as Hunter Water Corporation and the State Water Corporation.

Dr Kaye said: "It is hardly surprising that the O'Farrell government would want to strip out any influence of employees and unions and instead stack the boards with its private sector mates.

"It is however deeply disappointing that Labor deserted its roots and ran away from the rights of public sector employees to have a say over the future of their workplace.

"Unlike Labor, the Greens stood up for public sector employee and their unions.

"The legislation will leave many workers without a voice in the strategic decision making of the corporation they work for.

"Valuable on-the-ground experience and knowledge will be shut out of boardrooms.

"The only voices that will be heard will be the generic businessmen and women who know nothing of the nuts and bolts of the enterprise they are supposed to be running.

"In the O'Farrell government's rush to purge state-owned corporation boards of their perceived enemies, the input of those who know the business from the ground up has been silenced.  Labor helped them do this.

"Workers will be disenfranchised and alienated. Morale and service quality will suffer.

"The Opposition was clearly afraid of the target they might have presented if they stood up for workplace democracy.

"The government's excuses for this legislation centred on merit and perceived conflict of interest.

"The Coalition ignored the merit that comes from intimate knowledge of the business.

"The O'Farrell government is slandering employees by suggesting their representatives are incapable of fulfilling their obligations as board members, while government-appointed directors with links to other corporations can," Dr Kaye said.

For more information:  John Kaye 0407 195 455


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John Kaye
Greens NSW MP

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Mail: Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

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