Denis Napthine to chair meeting on Toyota as Joe Hockey slams union AMWU says 'not at war' with Toyota Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union disputes claims they are at 'war' with Toyota. PT0M52S http://www.smh.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-31drj 620 349 January 24, 2014 - 4:57PM Federal and state ministers, union officials and car industry heavyweights will sit down on February 13 in a crunch meeting that will attempt to save Toyota's manufacturing operations in Australia. Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, who will head the meeting, has also written to Prime Minister Tony Abbott requesting face-to-face discussions before the meeting. On Friday, Treasurer Joe Hockey accused the Manufacturing Workers Union of being at "war" with Toyota and threatening the viability of Australia's last car maker by blocking attempts to cut high costs. "We are all going have to do what we can to make Australia more competitive": Joe Hockey. In a blunt warning to employees across the country, Mr Hockey said on Friday employers' costs must fall to protect the economy in what was a volatile global market. He backed cabinet colleague Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, who in an interview with Fairfax Media pleaded with Toyota's 2500 manufacturing workers to "think about their futures" and accept pay cuts and the removal of "archaic" conditions in their enterprise bargaining agreements. "The union, the AMWU, is at war with Toyota, they are creating the conditions that make it extraordinarily difficult for Toyota to continue producing cars in Australia," Mr Hockey said. He said wage negotiations were a matter for individual employers and their employees, "but the fact is we are all going have to do what we can to make Australia more competitive. Obviously we have to do more to reduce our cost base. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten accused the federal government of wanting a low-wage economy and for people to have insecure work hours. "The way they're trying to blame car workers for the Abbott government's inaction in the car industry, I have no doubt that the Abbott government has a vision where they see our wages go down and we see inflation going up at the same time, which is a horrible double for working Australians," he said. Mr Shorten said Mr Hockey had "sold out" Holden workers and was "now turning his bully pulpit upon Toyota car workers and saying that people on $70,000, $80,000, $60,000 who work in shifts, who work in furnaces and foundries, who make quality products, somehow a car worker's the problem." AMWU vehicles division national secretary Dave Smith said the union was willing to sit down with Toyota and discuss changes to pay and conditions, but called on the car maker to guarantee it would keep making cars in Australia beyond 2018. "Joe Hockey has refused to address assistance [for car makers] beyond 2020," he said. If the government doesn't address industry assistance beyond 2020, if it doesn't have a proper look at the industry and restructuring ... it is not worth sitting down with the company because they will close. The February 13 meeting brings together Mr Macfarlane, Liberal MP Bob Baldwin, Mr Smith of the AMWU, Toyota Australia corporate affairs director Mike Rausa and about 30 representatives from car companies, parts manufacturers, the South Australian government, the finance sector and local councils. The meeting is designed to get everyone around the table to thrash out their differences behind closed doors and discuss what can be done to prevent the potential loss of 30,000 jobs from the automotive sector if Toyota quits Australia. The timing of the meeting is crucial as by the middle of next month Toyota will have learnt of the date of its appeal against a Federal Court ruling that it cannot negotiate changes to an enterprise bargaining agreement with employees.