‘White-hot anger’: Thousands of tradies strike over wage increase demands
Tradies across Australia have called out the “big end of town” in mass demonstrations stoked by “white-hot anger” over wage demands.
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Tens of thousands of CFMEU members have descended on the country’s major cities on Wednesday, demanding wage increases amid the country’s worsening cost of living crisis.
Crowds of protesters rallied on the streets of Melbourne’s CBD, many wearing and carrying CFMEU shirts and flags, and calling for worker salaries to increase in line with inflation.
CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith said workers were struggling amid the worst cost of living crisis in decades while “corporate greed pours petrol on an inflationary bonfire”.
“This national day of action is a pivotal moment for CFMEU members to make their voices heard on the issues that are stoking white-hot anger in the community,” he said.
“It’s time we challenged the broken economic paradigm that calls for wage restraint at a time of skyrocketing profits for the big end of town.”
The mass demonstration outside Melbourne’s Trades Hall comes five days after the collapse of Porter Davis Homes.
The construction giant’s closure has reportedly left many tradies out of pocket and nearly 2500 projects and 470 staff in jeopardy.
New demands by protesters for the Fair Work Ombudsman to be abolished and replaced with an industry watchdog “with teeth” have come after a rise in vandalism at construction sites.
Mr Smith called the Ombudsman a “dismal failure on wage theft” that “tickles the tummy of corporations who do the wrong thing”.
“Let’s start from scratch with a body that puts workers first,” he said.
One family’s Porter Davis home in Melbourne’s southeast was engulfed in a suspicious fire on Monday.
Mr Smith said the Ombudsman “didn’t care” about the closure of the construction giant or the workers left “carrying the can”.
On Tuesday, the Melbourne-based residential builder Simonds Group revealed it was laying off 10 per cent of its staff due to tough market conditions.
In September last year, the company slashed 9 per cent of its labour force, also citing “right sizing” as the reason.
CFMEU has also used the occasion to stress the importance of its Stop The Killer Stone campaign, pushing governments to ban the use and importation of engineered stone linked to deadly lung diseases.
“If governments won’t ban the asbestos of the 2020s, the CFMEU will,” Mr Smith said.
One community member took to Twitter, commenting that the pubs in Melbourne’s CBD were “jam packed” following the end of the protest around noon.
Scenes were less serene in Brisbane’s CBD, where a glass door of the Commonwealth Parliament Offices was reportedly smashed during the union’s protest.
A glass door has been smashed in the Brisbane CBD during a CFMEU protest. Several city streets have been closed while hundreds of protesters march for better worker safety and greater oversight for fair work. Report on 7NEWS at 6pm. https://t.co/VZ3A1cHvFd#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/20qdGwknWY
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) April 5, 2023
Witnessed a large protest in Melbourne today.
— Mikey Smith (@MikeySmithNZ) April 5, 2023
Construction workers demanding more pay.
When finished at midday. The pubs were jam packed.
Probably not the best look 🤣
Motorists were advised to avoid travelling through Melbourne CBD amid traffic delays caused by the protest.
Police were on scene and have not reported any incidents regarding the group’s behaviour.
Originally published as ‘White-hot anger’: Thousands of tradies strike over wage increase demands
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