Feathers fly over poster promoting Christmas toy drive for kids

One of Australia’s biggest building companies has been slammed by a union firebrand after he claims it ordered the tearing down of posters promoting a Christmas toy drive for underprivileged children.

CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar.

IS one of Australia’s biggest building companies so heartless that it has torn down posters at a work site promoting a Christmas toy drive for underprivileged kids living in shelters?

Union firebrand Michael Ravbar levelled the allegation this week at Brisbane-based Watpac.

The CFMEU state secretary took his umbrage a step further and resigned in protest from the Queensland board of Mates in Construction, a support group aimed at curbing the high rates of suicide in the industry.

Watpac boss Martin Monro has served as a state director of Mates in Construction since August last year.

But Ravbar dismissed Monro’s participation as little more than “a cynical exercise in corporate branding’’.

Illustration of Michael Ravbar by Brett Lethbridge

“I am not prepared to share a board table with one of the largest construction companies in Australia that pays lip service to caring about workers’ mental health and family wellbeing, while instructing managers to tear down workplace posters promoting the CFMEU’s annual toy drive,” Ravbar said.

“Seriously? A toy drive?...If this is the sort of corporate citizen Watpac really is they do not deserve to be associated with selfless community organisations such as Mates in Construction and Mr Monro should end the charitable façade and resign immediately.’’

RETURNING FIRE

MONRO responded yesterday by telling your diarist there is no company-wide policy aimed at removing toy drive posters.

Indeed, he said only one flyer was removed on Monday, three days after the deadline for the collection effort had passed.

He declined to identify the site but City Beat understands it’s the $170 million Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence that Watpac is building in Ipswich for Rheinmetall Defence Australia.

Monro slammed Ravbar’s criticisms as “totally unfair and not factually correct’’.

“I think it’s a fantastic initiative and if I had toys I would have donated them,’’ he told us.

Monro said Watpac and other firms are obliged to abide by an Australian Building and Construction Commission edict that prohibits union-branded signs from being displayed on work sites.

But he noted there are grey areas surrounding that policy and he conceded that it wasn’t a good look to tear down a charity flyer. “I think it probably suited them (the CFMEU) to be a bit outraged about it,’’ Monro observed.

On a more wistful note, he said it was “hurtful and a bit of a shame’’ that Ravbar had walked away from Mates in Construction.

“It’s one of the things we agree on. I don’t want to pick a fight with Michael. We actually get along on a lot of things,’’ Monro said.

GETTING PRICKED

THESE are tough days for Dr Ian Dixon and his Gold Coast-based biotech Medigard, which aims to commercialise retractable syringes and other products.

Nearly 20 years after launching, the company revealed this week that it will be forced to raise more capital in the near future since it has limited cash and a convertible note obligation.

Specifically, it had just $194,000 at the end of September, a debt of almost $600,000 which must be repaid early next month and another $200,000 used up from a credit line.

Dixon flagged various options to right the ship, including an $800,000 capital raising. Another $15 million will be needed if further trials get under way.

That underwhelmed investors, who sent the already-depressed share price south. It closed at just 2¢ yesterday, a long way off from the 48¢ mark it hit after floating in 2004.

Despite a $614,648 net loss last year, directors say they are “enthusiastic a about the future of the company’’.