JOE'S
DINER -
COMMUNITY
SAYS
IT'S
UNPALATABLE
12
October 2007
Workplace
Relations
Minister
Joe
Hockey's
appetite
for
making a
meal of
workers'
rights
will not
go
unchallenged
this
morning.
Minister
Hockey
will be
at the
Port
Noarlunga
Hotel at
7.00 am
for a
business
breakfast
function.
The
visit
occurs
during a
week
when
Minister
Hockey
has
attempted
to
justify
an
Adelaide
Hills
abattoir
company's
desire
to cut
back
workers'
rights
as
"fair".
The
local
community
want to
ensure
their
concerns
are
noticed,
and are
holding
a
barbecue
breakfast
outside
the
venue.
SA
Unions
Secretary,
Janet
Giles
says :
"Joe
Hockey
has made
a dog's
breakfast
of the
Industrial
Relations
portfolio."
"His
latest
egg-on-the-fact
incident
is the
embarrassing
revelation
that the
roundly
rejected
workchoices
agreement
for
Lobethal
abattoir
workers
actually
passed
the
federal
government's
"fairness"
test,
despite
lowering
wages,
increasing
working
hours,
reducing
job
security
and
stripping
back
rights."
"Here's
something
to chew
on Mr
Hockey -
working
families
don't
like
being
ripped
off, and
they
don't
like
struggling
to pay
the
mortgage".
"We
invite
Minister
Hockey
to pause
between
alighting
from his
ministerial
limousine
and
dashing
to the
comfort
of the
business
breakfast
- pause
for a
moment
and have
a word
with the
workers."
