Aussies must compete with $2 a day workers: Rinehart
Source: ABC Australia
Gina Rinehart has used a rare video appearance to repeat her warning that Australians need to work harder to compete with Africans who will labour for less than $2 a day.
In a reference to BHP Billiton's reasoning for shelving its Olympic Dam expansion plans, Mrs Rinehart says companies are "running a ruler" over their investments because of cost overruns and low productivity.
Yesterday, Fortescue Metals Group announced it was deferring some expansion projects and cutting costs, although its reasoning for the move was focused on a slump in iron ore prices rather that cost overruns.
Speaking in video posted on the Sydney Mining Club's website to discuss the recently signed enterprise migration agreement which will allow her to import 1,700 foreign workers for her Roy Hill Iron Ore project, Mrs Rinehart says Australians should not be complacent about the investment pipeline given that African labourers will work for less than $2 a day.
Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-05/rinehart-says-aussie-workers-overpaid-unproductive/4243866?section=wa
This comes less than a week after telling the poor that they wouldn't be poor if they stopped being lazy and going to the pub and drinking...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014213024
leveymg
(36,418 posts)and shovel and made to live on that $2/day for several months. Then, we'll see if she still sings the same tune that workers are lazy.
Swagman
(1,934 posts)to Gina who is on the way to become the world's richest person.
Citizen Worker
(1,785 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)"It's not the Australian way to toss people a $2 gold coin and then ask them to work for a day," she said.
"We support proper Australian wages and decent working conditions for Australian people.
"We are not going to have wage rates the same as the wage rates in Africa. We're not going to compete on those kinds of cost differentials.
"We're going to compete on our great mineral deposits, our application of technology and high skills to the task. We mine differently than in other countries."
You may agree with the mine owner, Ms. Rinehart that Australia has to compete on wages with $2 a day African miners. I hope that the prime minister is right (so far she is) and you are wrong.
AFAIK, Australia has no trade agreements of any kind with any African country nor does any other developed country. So I'm not sure where your statement regarding 'slave trade agreements' was coming from.