Water Woes In South Australia

3 August 2007
Tree Plantations Australia (TPA) is shocked by an announcement by South Australian Environment Minister Gail Gago that commercial tree plantations in the southeast of the state will be required to have a licensed water allocation for the rain that falls on them.
“A strange comment,” says TPA CEO Allan Hansard, “considering the amount of unfinished consultation the industry is engaged in with the South East Natural Resource Management Board and State Government.
“What is the point in having such a long and detailed formal consultation process when the Minister’s mind is already made-up with this announcement?
“Growers of other non-irrigated, deep-rooted perennial crops such as lucerne, cereals and improved pasture should be concerned that the state government will potentially look at charging them for water allocations as well in the future.”
Hansard said these expansive areas of non-irrigated vegetation were not yet captured by Gago’s plan. However, these crops use extensive amounts of water. “Because of the Minister’s approach to water policy, the sustainability and equitability of the policy is highly questionable,” Hansard said.
“Tree plantations are efficient users of water. What Minister Gago’s plan looks like is a way to take pressure off those inefficient irrigators. There are no incentives for inefficient water users to improve their water use efficiency.”

Chilean Workers Pay High Cost For Wages Deal

A settlement has been reached between 8000 striking Chilean forest industry workers and the country’s largest industry employer Arauco y Constitución SA.
On 3 May, Chilean police shot and killed a demonstrating 26-year-old forest worker outside the Celulosa Arauco pulp mill in Los Horcones, Arauco province. Several other workers were hospitalized from gunshot wounds. One striker lost an eye.
The National Confederation of Forest Workers of Chile was a major protagonist in uniting sawmill workers, loggers, truckers and silviculture workers in the fight for better wages and working conditions. The workers initially struck the company for three days in March. Following failed negotiations, workers struck for a second time, beginning on 30 April
The company, its 87 contractors and union officials, reached an agreement that will see workers paid increases of 65,000 pesos a month (about US$125), based on a 45-hour regular work week. Low wages force many to work more than 60-70 hours a week. The lowest paid workers will see increases of over 40% while the average wage increase is about 20%.

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