Garbo sacked via SMS: union (Aussie Article)

[AussieMark]

Garbo sacked via SMS: union

NEW federal industrial laws have been blamed for the sacking of three Brisbane waste disposal workers, including one who was fired via a text message.

Transport Workers Union president Hughie Williams said the three workers were fired on Monday by personnel company WorkPac, which hires staff to waste disposal company Kerbside Services, contracted by Brisbane City Council.
Two of the workers received news of their immediate termination over the phone while a third worker, a woman, received her news via a mobile phone text message.

"They are feeling devastated," Mr Williams said today.

"They have been working under pretty stressful conditions and doing a job very well on some of the trucks which we have roadworthy doubts about."

He said the woman who was sacked via SMS had recently been bitten by a dangerous venomous spider while picking up rubbish.

He said there had been many complaints about conditions at Kerbside Services, including the use of unroadworthy trucks and poor occupational health and safety standards.
Mr Williams said the federal government's new IR laws were "absolutely" to blame for the sackings.

"Absolutely, they sacked them on the spot," he said.

He believed the three workers had been targeted because of their union affiliation.

"There is no doubt about it," Mr Williams said.

"If they didn't have the guts to stand up and (complain) ... they would probably be working there today."

Premier Peter Beattie said Australians would not accept an industrial relations system which allowed people to be sacked by text message.

"This is the ugly side of industrial relations which is un-Australian," Mr Beattie said.

"Sacking someone by text message as far as I am concerned is about as grubby as you can get. I think that is appalling."

The premier said his government had warned federal IR changes would "open a pandora's box" where equity and fairness were lost and workers would be exposed to the "law of the jungle".

WorkPac is expected to issue a statement later today.

[TexasStooge]

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