Put brakes on Cross River Rail Project to fix industrial relations chaos
Terminate Cross River Rail Delivery Authority for failure to deliver
The Electrical Trades Union called on the State Government to do the right thing by Queensland taxpayers and put the brakes on the CRR project, disband the Cross-River Rail Delivery Authority (CRRDA) and start again.
The call comes as the union accused the delivery authority of gross incompetence in its handling of the industrial relations component of the project.
ETU State Secretary Peter Ong said the CRRDA was failing its most basic function to work with the stakeholders to deliver all aspects of the project fairly.
“We were promised productive relationships, fair bargaining and a hands-on approach to delivering industrial agreements in line with comparable infrastructure projects elsewhere. What we’ve had is stonewalling in bargaining from the winning consortium CPB for more than 9 months, cost blowouts, a reluctance for CRRDA representatives to even attend meetings. All the while they sat on their hands while CPB did dirty deals with one particular union that undercut wages and conditions behind our members’ backs. It is a recipe for disaster.” He said.
The union warns drastic action from the State Government is needed to rebuild trust in the project.
“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 blowouts mess. We will not accept substandard industrial agreements that fall well short of comparable agreements elsewhere, 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.”
“Our members have lost all respect and trust in the CRRDA, 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.
CRRDA are failing workers, the Queensland community and the government, this should be a good news story but what we have is dirty deals, laziness, cost blowouts and dysfunction, CRRDA must go,” he said.
