Australia, Toyota at odds over manufacturing halt

21 day of not working, what they think they are , royalty ?

God damn unions and their never ending quest for more money for less work.

I'm afraid that's it. It's the unions in Australia followed by the lunatic left that is rogering the country.

...but that's Australian politics for you. The left come into power and bankrupt the country. The right then come in and make the hard decisions to rescue the country's finances... but eventually they become so hated for their tough decisions, that once the country gets back in the black, the populace are praying for the left to come back in again and splash the money around again. Then they bankrupt the country again.... Rinse, wash, repeat.

That's why Australia can never seem to get ahead in any big way.

So the unions make things difficult and then the workers end up with no jobs, typical isn't it. The unions are most of the reasons why the western work force is uncompetitive.

Tough now for those ozzie car workers to find work, and those union bosses, well you can bet they lined their pockets good so they will be sweet without a union to run.

I'd prefer to believe Toyotas explanation over a government in damage control. Production costs to make the same cars in Thailand are a fraction of the cost in Australia. Not just labour costs, but energy, water, rent, land prices - everything. Thai-made Toyotas - such as the HiLux - are among the top sellers in Aus. and are tough as nails - and with a 5 percent tariff (soon to be zero) it's a no-brainer.

Before we get stuck into the unions, Australia has not had a recession for over 18 years and if management cave into their demands its because they are furiously trying to get back into making huge profits. The car industry failed for many reasons and Toyota has been at great pains to point out its not because of the cost of their workforce (just look at the cost of labour in Germany and the many benefits they receive in that country). Its always easy to pick on the closest scapegoat.

I'm sure there are good and bad unions. Take for example the Hostess/Twinkie (OK go ahead and laugh) bankruptcy. It was largely portrayed in the media as the unions fault. However, a closer look showed that the corporate leadership had borrowed from the big bankers to make other investments, using the union pension as collateral. As the meltdown occurred, "calls" where made, and the union refused to pay for their mistakes with their pensions, and reduced wages and benefits.

I am not anti-union, if run properly(haha I know) I think they are good for working stiffs.

But if they really get 3weeks around Christmas.............WTF! Sorry that's off the charts, unless its some period where the factory does heavy maintenance & work while the lines are down, if that were the case I would suspect on balance that paid holidays would be lowered some in lieu of the closure.

Sad truth is unions, like upper management they BOTH want to skim as much $$ as possible, however management usually do it behind the scenes so we don't hear so much about it

Generally Au has four weeks paid leave. For teaching and health care staff, they may be entitled for five weeks. For new staff of manufacturing industry is entitled for five days of paid sick leave. The longer the service, the longer he will receive the paid sick leaves. Politicians who are role model takes holidays more than a month. Au PM pay is half million for a year. It is more than US and UK head of state.

In Melbourne plant, some workers take sick leave on Friday and Monday. Therefore they will get long weekend. If there is any public holidays near the weekend, they will get extra long weekend. For blood donation, many workers take half day off on Friday with pay. They are entitled for pay for their hand washing time too.

Where can workers soon will be unemployed can find the such a luxury factory in any part of the world?

Toyota is Atlas shrugging. Now, non-fiction.

Let us not forget that the Xmas break in Au is the summertime and the time when children are off school. 3 weeks seems not unreasonable provided that is the only long term holiday in Au for the AU. (Auto Unions). Not counting the stoppage for the Melbourne cup. And, as stated by Toyota, that was not that great a bone of contention.. So why all the Union Bashing? Rather look at Abbots record on many other things in his short but dangerous role as PM. When you elect a real Australian Yobbo you are going to get the varnished truth. Getting warmer, Tony?

Lazy cobbers. toyota couldn't make money there is the bottom line.

Xmas break in Au is the summertime and the time when children are off school. 3 weeks seems not unreasonable provided that is the only long term holiday in Au for the AU

Au legally entitlement for leave is so generous for international standard. No wonder multi natiionals are leaving from that Royal Palace.

4 weeks standard (20 working days) plus 10 paid public holidays. 5 weeks for shift-workers (those regularly rostered across a 7 day week). 2 weeks can be "sold" to employer (cashed-out). Additional Long service leave is also payable after 10 years' service at the same employer, or 7 years in the public service (on average, 1 week leave for every 60 weeks worked - or approximately 8.5 weeks' additional leave for 10 years' service), although some states mandate that LSL is payable pro-rata on termination of employment after 7 years' service

My Ozzie friend is leaving here soon, as he (a graduate) can get three times as much money driving a truck in Oz than teching eigo here.

It is a simple fact that it is uneconomic to make goods in Australia.......

as he (a graduate) can get three times as much money driving a truck in Oz than teching eigo here.

For teaching eigo, he may need teh degree. However driving truck in Oz, he does not need a degree. The reason of truck driver earing high income is becasue of mining boom. The boom has bursted and no more new projects are coming.

It is a simple fact that it is uneconomic to make goods in Australia.......

Mining exploration is uneconomic to explore in Oz. Customer service centre service is uneconomic to host in Oz. Aviation industry is uneconomic to fly in Oz with small market and huge cost. There is only economic to make fortune in Oz is becoming polictians and earning big pay check.

Mike Will - I didn't know that Rhodes Scholars could be considered yobbos?

Kurisupisu- I earned 3 times as much as your average English teacher in Japan my first year out of university by working in a remote part of Australia. I always cringe when Americans tell me that they cannot get a job earning as much money back home as what (insert dispatch company) will pay them here. That said, the cost of living in Australia is quite high.

I was shocked at the high prices (to us, coming from the outside) in Australia. If everything the Japanese car companies do is that expensive it makes sense to build cars elsewhere.

Not just Toyota, any Company will deny AMWU was main factor for closure factory even if they have said it to someone else. There’s no doubt about all Companies are afraid and scaring of retaliate by AMWU. All AMWU members are scaring of AMWU leaders and their henchmen. They will come and shoot at your home and car if you against them. It happened all the time.

I believe Yasuda-san told what happen with AMWU to Joe Hockey when they met in December last year because that time Toyota was attacked by AMWU because it tries to renegotiate 2011 Work place agreement. AMWU brought Toyota to court and Justice decided favor in Union but he said changing work place agreement must be agreed by both sides. Toyota employees want to direct negotiate with Toyota but Union leaders and their henchmen inside Toyota Altona plant are objected majority of Toyota employees' desire to go head with vote.

What I understand was Toyota never asked its employees to reduce their wage but Toyota asked Toyota employees to vote for changing one of 2011 work place agreement, it's to reduce from 21 days Christmas Holiday to 10 days. Union leaders object it and now the employees can have full December holiday in 2017. Australian workers need to get rid off Unions from their life.

Coalition Government is always support to businesses in history. Labor will always against business and use Tax payers’ money recklessly. Labor Government will support only if the business is connection with Labor and Union leaders. Corruption and bribery are main problem for Labor party and Union. Labor and Union pushing national minimum wage to highest in the world and making less competitive with other developed countries.

By the way, National minimum hourly wage is $ 16.37 in Australia but US minimum hourly wage was $ 7 - $ 9 and 764 Yen in Japan. Australian workers get double compare to US and Japan. Minimum hourly wage for worker at Toyota Australia is $ 32 - $ 35. It's higher than Japan and US.

Also Australian workers have more holidays than other industrialized countries. In Australia, Christmas holiday break is 21 days, Easter holiday can be up to 10 days and long weekend for national holiday including Melbourne Cup (Horse racing) and Footy grand final. Australia is no longer attracting to foreign company in manufacturing industry and they only interesting in mining industry. Also some of Union like building Union leader wants 32 hours per week working hours instead of 40 hours.

Currently Coalition Government has sitting on $ 300 Billions debt left by former Labor Government and it will continue grow to $ 500 - $ 600 Billions in 2017. Labor Government was reckless big spender and they do not have business vision for Australian family. Australia is not richest nation as what UN and other said. We are living with money from Japan and other countries.

Easter holiday can be up to 10 days and long weekend for national holiday including Melbourne Cup (Horse racing) and Footy grand final.

Im sorry but I have never, ever heard of a 10 day Easter holiday in Australia. Public Holidays are Good Friday and Easter Monday. Melbourne Cup and Football Grand Finals are certainly NOT national holidays!

I didn't mean Melbourne Cup and Footy Grand Final as National Holiday but in Victoria, they are traditional long weekend. My brother factory has 10 days for Easter Holiday. I don't have 21 days for Christmas Holiday but Car Company's employees have 21 days.

Have the PNG refugees work at the Toyota factories for a minimum wage-train them up and give them real skills -Oz could beat China at its own game!