Unions urge Toyota workers to reject reforms as industry fights for survival

Car industry unions have called for Toyota Australia workers to reject a package of workplace changes that the companys management says is crucial to winning approval to make a new model Camry in Melbourne and for continued exports to the Middle East Toyotas !"#$$ assembly workers are due to vote on %riday on the package of measures designed to boost productivity and cut costs &pposition from the Australian Manufacturing 'orkers (nion)s leadership and shop stewards will make it much harder to win approval The union stance is revealed in a notice sent to members" which says the AM'()s vehicle division does not support changes detailed in a management explanatory memorandum on * +ecember The national secretary of the vehicle division" +ave ,mith" said on Monday that the union leadership believed the package was -purely about the company attacking unions and their workers-" rather than improving productivity and efficiency" or cutting costs ,mith said he had told several Toyota Australian directors the union was prepared to discuss -ways we can support- the company -.ut that has to be a discussion where the parties see each other as e/uals"0 he said -1t gets back to the relationship issue with Toyota and how we can improve the relationship The car maker says that it needs to cut the cost of each locally produced car by 23"4$$ in coming years to compete with Toyota plants in other countries" &n Monday" a Toyota spokeswoman repeated the company)s argument that -urgent changes- were needed if the car maker was to remain at the negotiating table for future investments -'e are doing everything that we can to secure the future for our employees and their families The changes are designed to remove outdated and uncompetitive work practices and allowances that make it difficult for us to compete with other Toyota plants Toyota Australia)s relations with car unions have been strained in recent years over forced job cuts and public criticism of work practices and attitudes by its president" Max 5asuda Car unions wanted the company to negotiate any changes with a big group of shop stewards and delegates .ut Toyota has insisted that it would only with a smaller group and has tried communicating directly with individual workers %rom the union side" the decision to formally oppose the management package risks sending a negative signal about the Australian operations to the 6apanese parent company" Toyota Motor Corporation 1t comes as the broader Australian car industry is fighting for its survival beyond !$78" when %ord will cease manufacturing locally A small group of Toyota shop stewards and employees has taken federal court action in an attempt to stop the vote proceedings" in a move which has not yet been officially supported by the union The judgment is due be handed down before the scheduled vote by Toyota employees on %riday The jockeying at Toyota comes as the Abbott government is under intense pressure over whether it will offer further industry assistance to keep 9M :olden)s Adelaide assembly plant open beyond !$78 The A.C has /uoted unnamed senior government ministers as saying a decision has already been made to shut :olden" but the industry minister" 1an Macfarlane" has said the company has assured him that no decision has been

made ;abors former industry minister <im Carr has argued that :olden was willing to accept an A;= proposal which was considered in 6une and 6uly this year and involved the car industry receiving 23$$m in taxpayer funding per year for a decade after !$7# :olden would have received about half of that sum" some 27#$m a year ACT( secretary +ave &liver is seeking an urgent meeting with Tony Abbott about :olden The ,outh Australian premier" 6ay 'eatherill" hopes to meet the prime minister on Thursday" when Abbott returns from attending the memorial service in ,outh Africa for >elson Mandela The 'all ,treet 6ournal has reported that the (, parent of :olden" 9eneral Motors" intends to close two :olden plants in Australia The car maker has its assembly plant in Adelaide" along with an engine plant and corporate head/uarters in Melbourne" which employs a total of about 3"88$ workers The ',6 said that 9M would separately slash production in ,outh <orea by as much as !$? by !$78" although part of the ,outh <orea output would be used to feed the Australian market The measures are in addition a decision last week decision to end Chevrolet sales in Europe in two years

Russia at a Glimpse

Full name: Russian Federation Population: 140.3 million (UN, 2010) Capital: Moscow Area: 17 million sq m (!.! million sq miles) Climate: ran"in" #rom t$e %rctic nort$ to t$e "enerall& tem'erate sout$. Major language: Russian Major religion: ($ristianit& Life expectancy: !2 &ears (men), 74 &ears (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 rou)le * 100 o'ec s Industries: Ran"e o# minin" and 'etroleum industries 'roducin" coal, oil, "as, c$emicals, and metals+ mac$ine )uildin" #rom rollin" mills to $i"$ 'er#ormance aircra#t and s'ace ,e$icles+ s$i')uildin"+ road and rail trans'ortation equi'ment+ a"ricultural mac$iner&, tractors and construction equi'ment+ electric 'ower "eneration and transmittin" equi'ment+ medical and scienti#ic instruments+ consumer dura)les, te-tiles, #oodstu##s and $andicra#ts. Main exports: .il and oil 'roducts, natural "as, wood and wood 'roducts, metals, c$emicals. GNI per capita: U/ 01,370 (2orld 3an , 2001) Economic note: Russia emer"ed #rom a decade o# 'ost4/o,iet economic and 'olitical turmoil to reassert itsel# as a world 'ower. 5ncome #rom ,ast natural resources, a)o,e all oil and "as, $a,e $el'ed Russia o,ercome t$e economic colla'se o# 1116. 7$e state4run "as mono'ol& 8a9'rom is t$e world:s lar"est 'roducer and e-'orter, and su''lies a "rowin" s$are o# ;uro'e:s needs. 5n t$e 'eriod o# ra'id 'ri,atisation in t$e earl& 1110s, t$e "o,ernment o# <resident 3oris =eltsin created a small )ut 'ower#ul "rou' o# ma"nates, o#ten re#erred to as >oli"arc$s>, w$o acquired ,ast interests in t$e ener"& and media sectors. <resident =eltsin:s successor, ?ladimir <utin, mo,ed to reduce t$e 'olitical in#luence o# oli"arc$s soon a#ter ta in" o##ice. For e-am'le, Mi $ail @$odor o,s &, t$e #ormer $ead o# t$e =u os oil com'an& is ser,in" ei"$t &ears in a /i)erian 'enal colon& on ta- and #raud c$ar"es. =u os assets were later acquired )& t$e state oil "iant Rosne#t. Aurin" Mr <utin:s 'residenc& Russia:s )oomin" econom& and asserti,e #orei"n 'olic& )olstered national 'ride.