As Solidarity goes to press industrial action at Queensland’s biggest infrastructure project, Brisbane’s Cross River Rail, continues.
CFMEU members began another round of protected industrial action for a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) on 15 July with picket lines at all 16 site entrances.
This is a legitimate and lawful dispute, but the main contractor, CPB, and the right-wing media are trying to use it to embroil the union in allegations of criminality, to strengthen the case for administration of the Queensland branch of the CFMEU.
Shamefully the state Labor government has joined the smear campaign. The latest allegation is that the CFMEU are responsible for a pre-dawn assault with a metal bar on a strike breaker. The union denied all involvement and welcomed a police investigation, but even before police finished investigating, Premier Steven Miles was using this incident to reinforce his case for legislation imposing administrators.
CFMEU members want a subcontractors clause and better health and safety provisions. Their previous EBA, negotiated in 2019 before workers were on site by the Australian Workers Union (AWU), had no subcontractors clause, meaning work could be outsourced to subcontractors paying below union rates.
As a result, on a site of 2500 workers, only about 170 work for the principal contractor. Some traffic controllers were being paid a miserable $26.81 an hour while others were even paid below the Award rate.
An effective heat policy is another significant issue. Just this year, more than 32 workers have been hospitalised because of heat stress. Last year one worker tragically died, leaving a widow and three daughters behind. The CFMEU want their standard industry heat policy to apply.
Following the expiry of the AWU agreement workers on site turned to the CFMEU in droves to negotiate their next agreement and win better pay and conditions. This is their second round of industrial action.
CPB have attempted to stifle strike action by alleging “unlawful tactics” in the Federal Court, winning a disgraceful ban on CFMEU members going within 15 metres of entrances to all Cross River Rail sites. CFMEU members are also banned from photographing or recording any person or vehicle entering or exiting sites.
Not to be outdone, the CFMEU has set up picket lines 15 metres from the exclusion zones. Opposite the Roma Street entrance the workers have moved to a small park surrounded by three streets and christened it “Solidarity Island”.
Construction workers across Brisbane are contributing $100 a week for four weeks to support members on strike.
Defiant strike action is not corruption or criminality—it’s exactly what’s needed to fight for wages and workers’ rights.
By Mark Gillespie
