Mitsubishi workers not struggling
BY TERRY MARTIN | 7th May 2008
Published by ABC Online last week under the banner ‘Sacked Mitsubishi workers struggling’, the article appears to contradict the positive re-employment outcomes suggested by the 720 job offers made for departing employees at a special job expo in March.
As GoAuto reported, some 70 Australian and interstate companies attended the two-night expo, including Ford Australia, Qantas and BHP Billiton. The ABC article also failed to take into account the fact that 400 of the 930 workers would leave over a 12-month period from the plant’s closure on March 28.
MMAL spokesperson Lenore Fletcher told GoAuto this week that the claim of only 30 workers finding work was incorrect and that she was endeavouring to ascertain where the figures originated.
She was unable to specify the number of sacked Tonsley Park workers who had been re-employed, but said figures were expected “in the next few days” from government bodies preparing a report on the issue.
“Currently MMAL is working closely with both the state and federal governments to assist in and oversee re-employment and re-training where necessary for ex-Mitsubishi employees,” Ms Fletcher told GoAuto.
“We have been doing this since the announcement of the closedown and will continue to do so for several months. Monitoring these figures is, as I’m sure you’d appreciate, not an easy task and I am currently waiting for the appropriate government body to come back to me with the latest stats.
“When calculating these statistics, it is important to remember that there are several variables regarding people’s re-employment over a specific time period.
“For instance, it has only been one month since our employees departed the factory and several of them indicated they would take a holiday prior to seeking re-employment.
“In addition, many employees indicated they were going to start their own business, only work part-time, or retire, and no doubt this will be reflected in the figures as well.”