Support ALP Platform on protecting jobs and sovereignty or be expelled, ETU tells MP’s
The Electrical Trades Union QLD NT Branch will be moving a motion at this weekend’s Northern Territory ALP Conference calling on all ALP MP’s to support the party platform to strengthen protection of sovereignty, jobs, wages and conditions in Free Trade Agreements (FTA’s) or face expulsion from the party.
The ultimatum comes as Federal Labor has committed to supporting the Hong Kong, Peru and Indonesian FTA’s in direct conflict with the party platform to oppose FTA’s that do not contain key protections for Australian workers, Industries, licenses, and sovereignty.
ETU Territory organiser Dave “Strawbs” Hayes said the motion will be put to force ALP MP’s to reflect on the core values of the party they profess to represent.
“We are appalled at the Federal ALP’s betrayal of working Australian’s, all we as rank and file members of the party are asking them to do is uphold the party platform or find another party.” He said.
“This motion is not about anything other than calling on our elected representatives to uphold the ALP platform of ensuring Free Trade Agreements are Fair Trade Agreements that provide job opportunities to Australian workers first while ensuring foreign workers are not exploited. Further, any FTA should ensure wages and conditions, our trades, qualifications, competencies, safety, and sovereignty are protected. We would be failing in our duty as trade unionists if we did not do everything in our power to make every Labor MP uphold these core values,” Hayes said.
