Tensions rose at a construction site after union members stopped work on a multimillion-dollar project and attempted to prevent non-union colleagues from entering the jobsite.
On Wednesday, CFMEU members working on the Cross River rail project in Brisbane began their second day of strike action.
Months of business negotiations between contractor CPB and the CFMEU collapsed after the union rejected a pay deal, triggering the strike.
The CFMEU has demanded that the new EBA include a $2,000 pay increase for some workers and 20 additional days off per year.
Sources familiar with the union’s demands revealed that under the proposal, an entry-level worker would receive a pay increase of $15,000, raising their annual salary to a whopping $240,000.
Tensions rose at a construction site after union members stopped work on a multimillion-dollar project.
Video footage captured Wednesday afternoon shows union workers linking arms to prevent non-union workers from re-entering the workplace.
In the footage, one man forcefully attempts to break the line from the front while another approaches from behind in an effort to separate the workers’ interlocking arms.
Union workers repeatedly challenged non-union workers to “try to cross” the blockade.
A non-union industry he dismantled the fence at the site, allowing his co-workers to enter through the gap, before a union worker called him a “fucking dog.”
One worker, who wished to remain anonymous, harshly criticized the CFMEU for preventing non-member workers with “families to feed” from working.
“At the doors (the union) had a force that prevented people from entering the site; it’s crazy,” the worker told the Courier Mail.
The union said CPB had been provided with a list of concerns months ago, including improving job security, introducing a heating policy and including traffic controllers and cleaners in the EBA.
In the footage, one man forcefully attempts to break the line from the front while another approaches from behind in an effort to separate the workers’ interlocking arms.
The CFMEU organized the strike on the Cross River railway project (pictured, planned layout) after four months of negotiations with the supervising construction company reached a stalemate
“After slaving away for more than four years under a poor Australian Workers Union agreement, Cross River Rail workers have stood up and said enough is enough,” CFMEU Deputy State Secretary Jade Ingham said.
He said the shopkeepers were sick and tired of seeing their co-workers maimed and killed.
“This summer, more than 30 workers have been hospitalized and one contract worker has died from heat stress, but CPB refuses to honor workers’ requests for an effective heat policy,” the union secretary said.
‘Cross River Rail workers have joined the CFMEU en masse because the CPB won’t listen to them, the AWU won’t speak on their behalf and the Queensland Government only cares about staged photographs and misrepresentation.
‘Civil construction workers are not second-class citizens and for the first time they have the opportunity to have a say in their future.
“The CFMEU will support them at all times.”
A spokesperson for CPB Contractors said they have been negotiating regularly with the Australian Workers Union and the CFMEU since late 2023 over the pay dispute.
“While these meetings were productive, an agreement has not yet been reached between the parties,” the spokesperson said.
‘We stand firm against any illegal tactics used to intimidate workers and delivery partners who support this essential infrastructure project for Queensland communities.
The union’s Queensland and NT branch deputy secretary Jade Ingham (pictured) said they don’t know when the dispute will end.
‘As always, CPB Contractors will not tolerate acts of intimidation towards its people or any workers on our construction sites.
“The safety and well-being of all our workers at Cross River Rail and on every CPB Contractors project is our top priority.”
Cross River Rail is a 10.2 kilometer railway line that includes 5.9 kilometers of twin tunnels running under the Brisbane River and the CBD.
Four new tube stations are being built at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street, plus a new above-ground station at Exhibition and the rebuilding of seven stations between Dutton Park and Salisbury.
The project also includes three new stations on the Gold Coast, the construction of two train depots and the installation of a new world-class signaling system.