Jewel tradies told get new jobs if they could at a meeting with union officials and Multiplex

JEWEL tradies have been told to pack up, take their tools and get new jobs — if they could — after a meeting with union officials and Multiplex.

TRADIES on the $1.4 billion Jewel project have been told to take another job if they can as the site was turned on its head yesterday.

For the past week tradies and subcontractors have put pressure on builder Multiplex and owner Yuhu Group to explain why more than 100 workers were sacked. Hundreds of others walked off the site yesterday.

Tradies of the Jewel site just stood around the $1.4 billion development after they decided to strike.

They wanted clarity around contracts as Yuhu Group changes its designs for the three-tower beach hotel and apartments.

With no answers yesterday, workers were told by union officials it was “safer to take the tool boxes out now and if you can take a job”, a tradie told the Bulletin.

“It’s hard because we are two months away from Christmas, we don’t know if we have work on this job or if we should be trying to get another job,” he said.

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Al Drescher was picked up from work early by daughter Mia and wife Jackie on Wednesday after more than 800 tradies decided to strike at the Jewel.

“Blokes have knocked back other work to stay on this job and now this is happening.

“And there is not enough work out there for all these blokes to pick something else up tomorrow.”

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About 800 tradies met with union officials and Multiplex in the basement of the project, yesterday before the members voted to strike.

Soon after, tradies spent three hours wheeling their toolboxes off the site and lifting them into their utes.

Jackie Drescher’s husband Al was one of the 800 to leave.

“When they take their tools off-site you know this could go really bad,” she said.

“This could be two days this could be two months.”

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Mrs Drescher, who has four children, three who still live at home said while the workers looked tough they were scared about their future.

“It impacts us that when it comes to Tuesday next week, and I go to do my budget, I don’t know how many days of income I will actually have,” she said.

“At the end of the day they are really impacting Gold Coast families that are already doing it tough with the high fuel prices and everything else.

“Now they’re saying let’s give them another blow.”