Jobs Australians won’t do?

We’ve all heard that illegal immigrants to the US do jobs Americans won’t do. Looks like a jolt is needed Down Under.

“ONE of the nation's biggest unions is negotiating to import up to 2000 skilled workers from the US on temporary visas, declaring unions will be unable to "hold back the tide" of foreigners needed to plug skill shortages on multi-billion-dollar resources projects.

“The Australian can reveal that a company directly related to the union has been approved by the federal government to assess the overseas workers and is setting up facilities in Las Vegas and the states of Maine and Pennsylvania for offshore testing from October.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/industrial-relations/communications-electrical-and-plumbing-union-bid-to-import-us-workers/story-fn59noo3-1226428591094

Linked from www.anenlishmanscastle.com

The story gets kind of dodgy, with Australian union people saying it’s not true. Sort of.

“Communications Electrical Plumbing Union (CEPU) assistant national secretary Allen Hicks told AAP the union's national secretary Peter Tighe attended the Australian government-hosted jobs expo in Houston, Texas, on May 19-20.”

The union, Hicks said, “anticipated a shortfall in local skills in the next decade and wanted to ensure any workers brought to Australian were union members and had the necessary skills.”

OK. That’s a “We wanted to make sure the government doesn’t allow in any non-union workers.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/union-denies-plans-to-import-us-workers/story-fn3dxiwe-1226429174286

For qualified miners and others, though, the jobs are there.

“Qualified workers, a challenge for all mining firms, is particularly acute in Australia, the world's biggest producer of the iron ore destined for China's steel mills. Mining companies say that even with current production cutbacks they can't find enough skilled workers willing to toil in the country's rugged, isolated outposts, in spite of salaries exceeding $100,000 a year. The industry estimates it will need 86,000 new workers by 2020.”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304065704577424322349755342.html