The position puts the union movement at odds with federal Labor,which haslargely backed the move despite raisingsome concerns about Australia compromising its sovereignty.
In a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison,ACTU assistant secretary Scott Connolly and Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union assistant national secretary Glenn Thompson said the announcement of the agreement earlier this month “understated both the challenge and scale of change required”.
They also raised concerns the arrangement with the US and Britain lacked “the Australian content commitments of the previous contract” with France.
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The agreement with French company Naval Group included an agreement that work worth at least 60 per cent of the contract’s value would be done in Australia. The new arrangement is unlikely to involve as much local work because the nuclear-enriched reactors will arrive fully built.
American defence giant Lockheed Martin,which was to have built the combat systems for the French submarines,has already issued termination letters to its subcontractors.
While the nuclear option will deliver Australiaconsiderable advantages in weapons storage,speed and endurance,the first of the submarines may not be in the water until 2040 – six years later than the first French boat was scheduled to be built.