UNION “bullies” have forced rolling work stoppages at a key Commonwealth Games worksite over the past two weeks as disputes over a new enterprise bargaining agreement continue to rage.
Employees working on the Carrara Sports Precinct have been taking part in union-approved, two-hour stop-work meetings twice a day, every day, cutting productivity in half.
The practice is a well known “industrial weapon” and is not technically considered a “work stoppage”, with union members paid their full hourly rates, some up to $80 an hour, to sit in the meetings.
It comes as Games organisers are sprinting to hire 1000 extra workers to deliver the event on the Gold Coast in 2018. The jobs on offer include roles ranging from graphic designers to security guards, logistics experts and medical support staff.
The Carrara dispute was sparked when the precinct’s managing contractor, Hansen Yuncken, refused to sign the new 2015-19 EBA.
Two-hour union meetings began on May 9 and have occurred every work day since. Hansen Yuncken site manager Zubir Cassin said he was not aware of issues at Carrara.
