澳洲工会反对中澳自贸协定 Canberra's trade deal with Beijing faces union opposition

It took a decade to negotiate, offers benefits to Australian businesses and is arguably the flagship achievement of prime minister Tony Abbott, but the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement could be derailed by a trade union campaign.

中澳自由贸易协定(China-Australia Free Trade Agreement)在谈判了10年后达成，将给澳大利亚企业带来许多利益，可以说是澳大利亚总理托尼縠伯特(Tony Abbott)的最大成就，但该协定可能因工会作梗而受阻。

The deal, which was signed in June but requires legislation to be passed in parliament, would cut tariffs and remove other impediments to exports while relaxing rules on Chinese inward investment. It underpins a deepening relationship between Canberra and Beijing, which this year saw Australia join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank against the wishes of its key ally, the US.

该协定签署于今年6月，但它需要在议会通过、形成立法。它将削减关税，取消其他出口障碍，同时将放宽针对中国投资流入的规则。它有助于推动澳中关系进一步深化。今年，澳大利亚不顾关键盟国美国的反对，加入了亚投行(AIIB)。

“It’s a good deal for Australia and it certainly doesn’t need to be reworked or in any way renegotiated,” said Mr Abbott, the Liberal party premier. “I call on the Labor party to stop playing xenophobic games here.”

“这项协定对澳大利亚非常有利，它肯定不需要修订，或以任何方式重新谈判”，自由党(Liberal Party)总理艾伯特表示。“我呼吁工党(Labor party)停止在这件事上玩排外游戏。”

But opposition to the deal is causing difficulties in passing legislation in the senate before the end of the year. Trade unions, including the powerful Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, have organised nationwide protests and have financed an advertising blitz against the agreement.

但是，该协定遭遇的反对，给年底前在参议院通过立法造成了困难。包括强大的建筑、林业、采矿和能源工会(CFMEU)在内，各工会组织了全国性抗议，并出资进行了反对该协定的密集广告宣传。

“This clause in the trade deal would lead to an influx of Chinese labour at the expense of local workers,” said Michael O’Connor, CFMEU national secretary. “We favour permanent immigration, rather than temporary migration.”

“贸易协定里的这一条款将导致中国劳工的涌入，损害本国工人的利益，”建筑、森林、采矿与能源工会的全国总干事迈克尔攠康纳(Michael O’Connor)说。“我们支持永久性移民，不支持临时迁移。”

The Labor party, which helped negotiate the agreement while in power between 2007-2013, is supporting the unions. Penny Wong, Labor’s trade spokesman, said the deal failed to ensure that skilled foreign workers were only employed when there were insufficient local labourers.

工党在2007年至2013年执政时曾帮助谈判该协定，如今却支持工会。工党贸易事务发言人黄英贤(Penny Wong)表示，该协定未能保证一个前提条件：那就是唯有在当地工人不足的情况下，才能雇佣技能熟练的外国工人。

It also includes a memorandum of understanding on projects worth A$150m ($110m) or more that are funded by Chinese investment, committing Canberra to negotiate special migration arrangements for these projects. Under the current rules, the threshold is A$2bn of project investment.

该协定也包括一项涉及1.5亿澳元（合1.1亿美元）或金额更高的项目的谅解备忘录，这些项目由中国投资支持，要求澳大利亚为这些项目谈判特别的重新安置安排。按现行规则，项目投资门槛为20亿澳元。

The government said Labor’s concerns were a red herring as adequate safeguards already exist in Australian law. Some experts warn the union’s campaign risks exacerbating an undercurrent of anti-Chinese sentiment in Australia.

澳大利亚政府表示，工党的所谓担忧不过是要转移注意力，因为澳大利亚法律已经提供了充分保障。一些专家警告称，工会组织的反对运动可能加剧澳大利亚国内的反华情绪暗流。

“There are clearly some segments of the population that are uncomfortable with Chinese buying property or agricultural land,” said Kerry Brown, director of the Chinese Studies Centre at Sydney University.

“目前，明显有部分澳大利亚人对中国人购买房产或农地感到不安，”悉尼大学(University of Sydney)中国研究中心主任克里布朗(Kerry Brown)说。