Vic: Bracks offers to chair talks in building dispute

AAP General News (Australia)
02-17-2000
Vic: Bracks offers to chair talks in building dispute

By Peter Barber, State Political Correspondent

MELBOURNE, Feb 17 AAP - Premier Steve Bracks today continued his balancing act in Victoria's
bitter building dispute by offering to chair talks between warring parties next week.

The government is hoping to act as a circuit-breaker as builders warn that state-wide
bans on construction sites next week will shut down the industry.

Mr Bracks urged both sides to make concessions after enraging unionists yesterday by
telling them to compromise on their campaign for a 36-hour week and better pay.

Today he offered to chair talks himself as the government could not appoint a mediator
- as it did in the Yallourn dispute - without the agreement of the parties.

"What I want ... is for both parties to come to a position of compromise to settle
this and move on," Mr Bracks told reporters.

After being savaged by union leaders for his statements yesterday, Mr Bracks today
chose his words carefully.

"In coming to the table in settling this, what we need and require is compromise on
both sides," he told reporters.

"Compromise on the claim for a 36-hour week and other matters from the employees, compromise
from the employers, who need to settle this with their workforce as soon as possible."

The government is moving away from its previous strategy of denying it has any role
to play in Victoria's worsening industrial situation, which is governed by federal law.

Mr Bracks' intervention yesterday was welcomed by business groups but immediately drove
a wedge between the Labor government and unions.

One of the 36-hour campaign's architects, Electrical Trades Union secretary Dean Mighell,
warned Mr Bracks today he would regret siding with builders by describing their claim
as unacceptable.

He accused the Premier of undermining the campaign and abandoning Labor values because
of media pressure.

But the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) welcomed Mr Bracks' comments
and warned the unions they were risking billions of investment dollars and tens of thousands
of jobs.

"Premier Bracks was quite right to point out to the unions that Victoria cannot afford
this current campaign by the CFMEU (Construction Forestry, Mining and Energy Union) for
a 36-hour week," VECCI boss Nicole Feely said.

Builders would be faced with a 31 per cent jump in costs if the 24 per cent pay rise
and shorter basic hours were granted, she said.

Mr Bracks said yesterday this claim was unacceptable. He promised to negotiate a better
deal on state projects and said he understood business wanted to do the same.

Today, Mr Bracks stressed his only interest was creating jobs for workers and securing
the health of the Victorian economy.

The state opposition again demanded he intervene in the dispute, but Mr Bracks said
the problems were caused by the federal Workplace Relations Act.

"I have nothing but contempt, I must say, for the system we have federally," he said.

"This system ... where we have this pressure cooker built up, where there's almost
an obligation for a dispute as you get close to the enterprise bargaining period, is one
which is not productive for the Australian and Victorian economy," he said.

AAP pjb/ra/ej/br e

KEYWORD: BUILDING BRACKS NIGHTLEAD

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