部长不应为工会威胁背书

上周维州劳资关係部长公开表示，她支持工会对澳大利亚最着名企业之一的 CUB 公司及其员工进行威胁与恐吓行为， 身为部长，如此发言着实让人担忧。

当劳资双方有争议时，部长 Natalie Hutchins 所做的并非立场中立，告诉工会让他们先把争议问题转交 澳洲公平委员会 (Fair Work Commission) 调查处理，而是直接站出来表示支持工会有关围事与破坏行为的活动。

立场偏颇等同对企业传递出不友善的讯息，这类讯息都可能影响企业决定是否留在维州或在维州投资的决议，因讯息彷彿在告诉所有企业，如工会一旦决定尝试恐吓或威胁企业，维州政府将会站在工会那边。

劳资关係部长应做的是在法律范围内解决分歧与争端，而非通过偏颇立场使争端恶化，更不应直接支持工会试图操弄法律指鹿为马的糟糕行为。

英文版/ English version

Minister shouldn’t support union threats and intimidation

I’m very concerned that last week Victoria’s Minister for Industrial Relations publicly supported unions who are using threats and intimidation against one of Australia’s most well-known companies, CUB, and its workers.

Instead of telling the unions to take their case to the Fair Work Commission, Minister Natalie Hutchins has been supporting the unions in the campaign of picketing and disruption.

This sends a very bad message to any business that is deciding whether to set up or remain in Victoria. It tells business that if unions decide to try to threaten and intimidate them, the Victorian government will be on the unions’ side.

The job of an Industrial Relations Minister should be about resolving disputes within the law, not making disputes worse by supporting unions trying to take the law into their own hands.