Cross River Rail: Electrical Trades Union calls for all work to stop over ‘dirty deals, laziness, cost blowouts and dysfunction’

A powerful Queensland union has demanded all work on the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project be halted over accusations of “dirty deals, laziness, cost blowouts and dysfunction”.

A POWERFUL Queensland union has demanded all work on the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project be halted with simmering tensions over industrial negotiations exploding into the public domain.

Electrical Trades Union state secretary Peter Ong has accused the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority of overseeing “dirty deals, laziness, cost blowouts and dysfunction”.

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“Our members have lost all respect and trust in the CRRDA,” Mr Ong said.

“It’s an oxymoron to have delivery in their name. Our members don’t trust them to deliver a kebab let alone one of the single biggest infrastructure projects in the state.”

There are growing fears that progress on the Palaszczuk Government’s signature public transport initiative will ground to a halt amid a looming dispute between a number of unions and the consortium awarded the project, CPB.

It is understood other influential unions are livid that CPB was allowed to do a deal with the Australian Workers Union.

An exterior mock-up of the new Woolloongabba station.

Mr Ong accused CRRDA of “gross incompetence”, saying it allowed CPB to sign a deal which “undercut wages and conditions behind our members’ backs”.

“The project must be halted immediately, no further work completed, no further contracts signed and the CRRDA disbanded so we can fix the IR and cost blow outs mess,” he said.

“We will not accept substandard industrial agreements that fall well short of comparable agreements elsewhere.

An artist’s impression of what Roma Street Station would look like.

“This Government must facilitate a fair bargaining process to ensure there is a single project agreement covering all unions on the site.

“Failure to do so will leave the ETU and our members with no option but to campaign throughout the five years of the project.”

Comment is being sought from Cross River Rail Minister Kate Jones.