Ad campaign targets Tasmania's Bell Bay conditions

THE Australian Workers Union has launched a three-month television advertising campaign designed to pressure Rio Tinto Alcan into increasing the pay and condition of workers at the company's Bell Bay aluminium smelter near Launceston. The advertisements, to be run on Tasmanian television and nationally through Sky News, highlight union claims that Bell Bay workers are paid $20,000 less than aluminium workers in Victoria.

The union's national secretary, Paul Howes, declined to nominate the amount to be spent on the campaign but said the union would seek voluntary contributions from members concerned about the alleged plight of the Bell Bay employees.

The advertisements feature a giant boot labelled "Rio" crushing a picture of Tasmania and then kicking it aside.

"I think the advertising campaign will get a lot of the Tasmanian community upset about what Rio is doing in terms of discriminating against Tasmanians," Mr Howes said.

"Rio should be putting more money into the Tasmanian economy by paying their workforce decently. Instead, the $20,000 they save ends up in the pockets of the London head office executives. London doesn't need the money. The Launceston economy would be better off if this pay went to local families."Rio Tinto spokesman Bruce Tobin said the company refuted the union claims about remuneration. "The smelter continues to offer competitive pay and conditions for our employees and pays in the top 25 per cent of the Tasmanian market," he said.

"The smelter employs 550 local people, pays $50 million in salaries every year, spends more than $180m a year buying goods and services from local businesses and supports about 400 Tasmanian suppliers."