Union Calls for Freeze on Foreign Workers

[Rev.Cambeul]

CFMEU calls for a freeze on temporary work visas

Steve Lewis, National Political Correspondent | News Limited Network | January 20, 2013

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/cfmeu-calls-for-a-freeze-on-temporary-work-visas/story-fncynkc6-1226557388065?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HeraldSunNationalNews+%28Herald+Sun+%7C+National+News%29

A SHARP jump in the number of foreign 'tradies' coming to Australia has sparked calls for a freeze in temporary work visas - amid signs a growing number of employers are rorting immigration and workplace laws.

Despite sluggish conditions in construction and mining, nearly 5000 temporary skilled work 457 visas were granted to carpenters, electricians, tilers, plumbers, scaffolders, cooks and other ''trades occupations'' in the four months to October 31 - a staggering 57.2 per cent increase on the same period in 2011. [more ...]

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

http://www.ntnews.com.au/business/darwin-businesses-stung-in-border-force-audits-of-457-visa-workers/news-story/3d10037aaf1ab70861e8279f2800fd13

DARWIN businesses are getting stung in a costly and "drastic" clampdown on 457 visa workers, a registered migration agent warns.

Brian Kelleher, of legal firm WardKeller, said four businesses contacted him in the last week to say Border Force officials had audited their pool of 457 visa holders.

He said at least one business was fined.

"What I'm finding is a lot of these employers aren't dodgy, a lot of these employers are clueless," Mr Kelleher said.

457 visas are a means of employing foreign workers for positions too hard to fill from Australia's existing workforce.

The shortage of skilled labour is magnified in the Territory, prompting the Federal and Territory governments to negotiate a Designated Area Migration Agreement.

The DAMA expands the list of approved 457 visa occupations and relaxes salary and language requirements. The expansive list of approved occupations include cooks, waiters, tour guides, store people, bar staff, aged care workers, childcare workers, retail supervisors, truck drivers, clerks and office managers. But Mr Kelleher said employers needed to be across all the paperwork.

"All the cases I've seen through our office have been where an employer has assigned a worker to do another job because someone was away or things like that," he said.

"The effect of that is employers will be sanctioned with big fines — up to $30,000 to $40,000 — and being barred from the program.

"With small to medium size businesses, that's going to have a big effect on them because the reason they have 457 visas workers is because they can't get locals."

He said the Immigration Department began a tougher approach to 457 visas following new federal legislation.

"The Department of Immigration in Darwin have a number of people assigned to those monitorings and it's been quite drastic how heavy they're coming down," he said.