Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate wades into Jewel, Yuhu Group jobs protest
GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate tells out-of-work Jewel protestors they should be thankful Yuhu Group took over - as laid-off workers warn “low-key” action is the “calm before the storm”.
Gold Coast
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GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate says workers laid off from the Jewel construction site would have been out of jobs six months ago if it wasn’t for China’s Yuhu Group taking over.
Cr Tate waded into the upheaval at the site of the $1.4 billion triple towers on the Surfers Paradise beachfront this morning where a Jewel sponsored kite festival was taking place.
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About 30 out-of-work labourers and tradies who had been among 900 employed on the site until job cuts last week, picketed the kite festival celebration.
Holding up placards including “Yoo hoo Tom Tate, tell ya’ mate, I gotta’ put food on my kids plate’, spokesman Scott Vink said they kept the protest “low key” due to the family nature of the festival.
“But this is the calm before the storm,” Mr Vink said, adding Yuhu Group could expect protest action to be stepped up next week if a further 300 workers were let go as anticipated.
As they picketed, Yuhu Group bosses including director Jimmy Huang, 24, hosted a VIP function inside the development Experience Centre attended by Cr Tate and Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan.
Cr Tom Tate told the VIP reception guests that if Yuhu Group - which bought the project off Wanda and Ridong earlier this year - had not taken over the workers would have been out of jobs months ago.
Speaking to the Bulletin afterwards, Cr Tate said: “I know it’s difficult for Yuhu to voice their opinion but I have no difficulty in telling the truth and the fact of the matter is this – without Yuhu coming in and transitioning the ownership of the project, the protestors right now today would have been out of their jobs for the past six months.”
When the Bulletin asked Mr Huang if he wanted to say anything about the on-site upheaval and confusion of the past week when workers and contractors walked off the job, he said: “I just want to focus on the kite festival that is on today.”
Mr Vink said on behalf of the beachfront protestors: “The workers out here who showed up this morning have all been sacked.
“Their employers have let them go and told them there is no work when they thought they were going to be here until next April.
“They have come down here to let people know - and Yuhu Group are having canapes inside when they should be out here explaining why they have been acked and 300 more are going to be sacked next week.”
In a statement last week, Yuhu Group said final designs and configuration of lower podium levels of the hotel were yet to be finalised, explaining the hold ups to work on site.
While builder Multiplex remained the “major project partner” some work would be retendered “ensuring the Jewel hotel meets and exceeds the highest of international standards”, the Yuhu Group statement said.
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