Cross River Rail protest draws thousands of CFMEU members to Brisbane CBD
Thousands of union members have marched on the Brisbane office of the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, calling for the organisation to be scrapped over claims of “poverty-level wages barely above minimum award rates and unsafe work sites”.
Brisbane City
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Thousands of union members have marched on the office of the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, calling for the organisation to be scrapped by the state government.
In an ongoing feud over the project the union has warned Transport Minister Mark Bailey to take control of the $6bn project to avoid the “costliest infrastructure bungle in the state’s history”.
Thousands of members from unions including the CFMEU, ETU and Plumbers Unions marched from George St to Albert St on Wednesday demanding the project’s overhaul.
ETU secretary Peter Ong raised concerns about safety on the site and called for the government to act and deliver improved working conditions.
“The CRRDA is supposed to oversee the delivery of the government’s own Best Practice Principles policy for wages and conditions, training and safety,” he said.
“What they are actually delivering is poverty level wages barely above minimum award rates, unsafe work sites and no evidence of sustainable training and apprenticeships.”
CFMEU secretary Michael Ravbar accused Mr Bailey of engaging in “spin” about the success of the project while Plumbers Union secretary Gary O’Halloran said sections of the project were 12 months behind schedule.
Comment has been sought from Mr Bailey’s office, however he has previously said the project is on time and on budget.
“This was also confirmed by the independent Queensland Audit Office report released earlier this year which identified no significant issues in their financial statement audit,” he said.
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