AL'S KA
EXTRACT PRESS CONFERENCE, PERTH, 29 September 1983 PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the building workers award, what
they're seeking, what the Government can do what is your
attitude to their present case?
Are you talking in respect-of the agreement?
JOURNALIST: Yes, I'm talking particularly in respect of the
$ 7.50 per week.
The Cabinet, as you know, made a clear decision as to
submissions that we'll make to the Tribunal and it's appropDriate
that they be put there. But in broad terms I say that we've made
it clear that the agreement must be considered and in our
judgement by the Commission within the framework of the
National Wage Case decision. There's some idea chat it might
be considered outside that and we made it quite clear that
that cannot be the case. We think there are some parts of it
which clearly you can say are justified within the guidelines
of the decision. We think there are parts, the B. I. R. P.
agreement, which is very difficult: to justify within those
guidelines. And there are others which it is appropriate to
have considered under the anomalies conference proceedings.
And that position will be detailed by counsel before the
Commnission. JOURNALIST: Will you be opposing B. I-R. P. outright?
I think it's appropriate that what we're going to do
before the Tribunal be said in the Tribunal. But I've given
an indication of the general position.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the pilots proposal of a national
strike on Monday Can you say what efforts the Government
is making to avert this event
Well, I've had Ministers talkin$ with representatives
of the pilots and they declare that we re prepared to talk
but not under threat of industrial action or in a situation where
they believe that the Government is going to change the basic
structure of our decison in regard to superannuation. I repeat,
as I've kept saying, that it's a tragedy that this highly privileged,
highly paid section of the workforce., more privileged than just
about any other section of the total Australian workforce in terms
of hours worked and remuneration received, cannot see the same
sense of reponsibility which should rest upon it as the total
trade union movement has done. The ACTU constituents are
overw. helmiingly made up of people that are less fortunately placed
than the pilots. They took the course, the responsible course / 2
2.
( cont.): of action, of working with the Government, of
talking with the Government, and in that process as in earlier
discussions with the pilots we were prepared to amend as we
indicated we would do certain elements of the announced
intention to meet specific problems that were raised by them.
Now it didn't meet all. the requirements of the ACTU unians,
but they took the view that they had a sense of responsibility
which ought to be discharged and the Congress of the ACTU
accepted the position that industrial action should not be
taken. Now let the pilots' leaders understand that they are
out of step with the trade union movement as a whole, ( b)
they are out of step with the community. And I believe
increasingly if they pursue this suicidal action they'll be
seen to be out of step with their own membership.
JOUPRNALIST: How do you propose to deal with the strike?
P. M. Well there is no strike yet.