The meeting held on Monday the 27th March at the Mareeba Racecourse was a success, with a great turn-out of local people.
It had been reported to the Union that locals had been applying to work at the Baiada poultry processing plant at Mareeba, only to be rejected in favour of backpacker visa holders.
Management of the factory had informed the Union that the reason they are employing foreign visa workers is because locals are not interested in working there.
With unemployment in regional centres, particularly youth unemployment at record levels, the Union could not accept the Company’s position.
In response to the Union and Community interest on this issue Baiada have now agreed to give local workers a start.
A meeting is to be held on the 6th of April with senior representative of the Company and the AMIEU to set out a way forward.
Ian “Macca” McLauchlan, Assistant Branch Secretary of the AMIEU addresses the crowd at the Mareeba Racecourse 27/03/17.
