SELLING OUT OUR JOBS

Hundreds of foreign work visas issued after 457 ‘cuts’

GEELONG tradies are being overlooked for local projects in favour of foreign workers granted visas on the basis of a skills shortage, insiders claim.

The revelation comes as new data reveals hundreds of foreign workers have been granted jobs nationally in occupations the Federal Government last year said “could and should” go to Aussies.

Geelong plasterer Eamon Kearns (pictured) slammed the foreign visas.

The veteran plasterer and carpenter said he had witnessed a surge of tradespeople on foreign workers visas gaining employment on the city’s major construction sites in the past 12 months.

“We can’t win a job,” Mr Kearns said. “It’s because they (foreign workers) are working for lower wages … they are undercutting the jobs.”

Mr Kearns fears construction wage jobs, like his, will soon cease to exist unless the government tightens regulation of visa exploitation and job rorts.

“I can’t see you getting wages much longer if it continues like this. We will have to go independent with ABNs instead of being employed,” he said.

The Leopold father said it would impact his and his workmates’ ability to support their families.

Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union regional organiser Tony Hynds said he recently visited the site of a new company setting up in Geelong, which had about half a dozen German workers helping with the fit-out.

“When we approached the managers of the site they said their machinery has come from overseas and (the foreign workers) are going to install it,” he said.

“We accept that they will buy some machinery that is specialised to the industry and they will bring in some engineers, high-end people to oversee the installation of it, but there is enough engineering companies and local labour to do the installation.”

More than 200 occupations were axed from the controversial 457 visas program in April last year, which was replaced with the Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa.

But new department data reveals almost 700 visas were granted for jobs that had been axed from the 457 program last year. Most were for more than 20 occupations that were quietly added back on to the list just months after their highly publicised cut.

A Home Affairs Department spokesman said the occupation list for skilled work visas was reviewed regularly to respond to changes in the labour market.