Winter Issue 2009 - cfmeu
Winter Issue 2009 - cfmeu
Winter Issue 2009 - cfmeu
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INSIDE: May Day souvenir lift-out poster<br />
CFMEU<br />
MEMBER<br />
FACING<br />
JAIL<br />
MASSIVE<br />
TURN OUT<br />
FOR SAFETY<br />
RALLY<br />
LABOR<br />
BETRAYS<br />
UNIONS OVER<br />
THE ABCC<br />
JOHN<br />
HOLLAND’S<br />
SHODDY SAFETY<br />
EXPOSED<br />
URINE<br />
SAMPLE<br />
TEST CASE<br />
WON!
C F M E U D I R E C T O R Y<br />
President<br />
Secretary<br />
Assistant Secretaries<br />
UNION OFFICERS<br />
Jack Nicholas<br />
Matthew Swinbourn<br />
Shannon Walker<br />
Jill Hawkins<br />
Kelly Hawkins<br />
Rod Reynolds<br />
Peta Arnold<br />
Emma Griffiths<br />
Linda Pallot<br />
Rob Mitchell<br />
Amanda Dunn<br />
Tammy Hall<br />
Cam McCullough<br />
Kevin Reynolds<br />
Joe McDonald, Graham Pallot<br />
Industrial Advocate<br />
Industrial Advocate<br />
Article Clerk<br />
IR/Legal Assistant<br />
IR/Legal Assistant<br />
Wage Claims<br />
Office Manager<br />
Membership Officer<br />
Accounts Officer<br />
Media and Communications<br />
Reception<br />
Reception<br />
ORGANISERS<br />
Mick Buchan 0419 812 861<br />
Mark Hudston 0419 812 864<br />
Vinnie Molina 0419 812 872<br />
Graham Pallot 0419 812 865<br />
Phil Kennedy 0427 244 141<br />
Troy Smart 0419 812 871<br />
Brad Upton 0488 770 857<br />
Angelo Forte 0419 812 867<br />
Matt Waters 0419 812 875<br />
The Union Office is located at<br />
82 Royal Street East Perth WA 6004<br />
Open 7:00am – 5:00pm Monday to Friday<br />
PO Box 6681 East Perth WA 6892<br />
Telephone: (08) 9221 1055<br />
Facsimile: (08) 9221 1506<br />
E-Mail: <strong>cfmeu</strong>wa@<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com<br />
Website: www.<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com<br />
All rights reserved: The Construction Worker Journal is complied & published<br />
by the CFMEU publications department. All copyright belongs to the CFMEU.<br />
No part of the publication may be reproduced or copied in any means without<br />
the written permission of the publisher.<br />
Disclaimer: The information contained within this publication is for general<br />
construction workers only. While every care is taken to ensure accuracy of<br />
information, we accept no responsibility for any action taken as a<br />
consequence of the information contained in this publication.<br />
ISS 1833 0282<br />
C O N T E N T S<br />
Secretary’s Address 2<br />
Big CFMEU turn up for Day of Mourning Rally 4<br />
Has Kevin Rudd lost the plot? 7<br />
CFMEU wins urine test victory 9<br />
BETRAYED! Different name, same powers 11<br />
ABCC Update 13<br />
Members approving record number of new union EBA’s 15<br />
John Holland admits poor safety record 17<br />
City Round Up 19<br />
Labor lose heartland of working class 21<br />
Legal Matters 23<br />
New delegates on way for WA! 25<br />
Off Cuts 27<br />
Spot the Hazard 28<br />
Huge CFMEU turnout for May Day 09! 31<br />
May Day Poster Lift-Out 32<br />
Companies charged over Scaffy Deaths 35<br />
Hanssen Pty Ltd cops massive $40,000 fine 35<br />
North West Report 37<br />
South West Report 39<br />
It’s time for entitlement/wages protection 41<br />
WA IRC tosses out electoral case 41<br />
Workers Rights 43<br />
Complaints from workers rise 45<br />
Royal Commissions: a BIG waste of money? 45<br />
Union Benefits 47<br />
Joe’s loss is a win for the workers 49<br />
Construction workers 'rorted' in NT 49<br />
Where are they now? 51<br />
Apprentice Profile 53<br />
West Gate Bridge dispute ends 53<br />
CFMEU leads way with member’s meetings 55<br />
Off the site 57<br />
Union Benefits 59<br />
A cheap fine for another death! 61<br />
Tinto fined 200,000 Rio’s! 61<br />
Rigger charged with manslaughter 61<br />
International News 63<br />
Pete’s Page 64<br />
GOT A STORY, PHOTO OR COMMENT?<br />
Email : editor@<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 1<br />
CFMEU
S E C R E TA R Y ’ S A D D R E S S<br />
with Kevin Reynolds<br />
Over 1 million people marched<br />
International Delegates meeting in Cuba.<br />
It was with a great deal of pride that<br />
I had the opportunity to represent<br />
the members of our union as one of<br />
2700 invited guests from around the<br />
world to Cuba’s celebration of May<br />
Day. The event also coincided with<br />
the 70th anniversary of the Cuban<br />
Trade Union movement and the<br />
50th anniversary of the Cuban<br />
Revolution.<br />
It was an amazing experience to see<br />
over one million people at their<br />
annual May Day Parade.<br />
Along with over 2000 delegates<br />
from 82 countries I attended and<br />
spoke at a specially convened<br />
congress at the Cuban National<br />
Convention Centre – on behalf of<br />
our union I expressed our solidarity<br />
for the Cuban people in their plight<br />
against the inhumane trade<br />
blockade of their country by the<br />
USA government. Just to give one<br />
small example of the hardship<br />
people live under due to this<br />
blockade: Kids can’t get milk from<br />
the USA mainland, they have to<br />
import it all the way from NZ – this is<br />
just the tip of the iceberg on how the<br />
Cuban people suffer under the giant<br />
shadow cast by the USA. Our<br />
delegation also took a trip to a<br />
township called Pinar Del Rio. It was<br />
totally flattened 6 months ago by<br />
hurricanes. It was incredible to see<br />
how much had been rebuilt in that<br />
time – the Cuban people and<br />
government took pride in the fact<br />
that they responded to their<br />
people’s need far better and faster<br />
than the Bush Government did after<br />
Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.<br />
We also spent time with Cuban<br />
union officials and workers,<br />
discussing and helping them to take<br />
on board better safety standards<br />
and procedures for their workforce.<br />
Obviously they are a long way<br />
Vinnie Molina and Kevin Reynolds proudly<br />
display the medals awarded for on-going<br />
CFMEU commitment and help towards CUBA<br />
behind our standards but we hope<br />
the knowledge we passed on starts<br />
to improve their local situation.<br />
CFMEU AWARDED<br />
HIGHEST HONOUR<br />
The Cuban Government presented<br />
to both the CFMEU and Organiser<br />
Vinnie Molina, a specially struck<br />
one-off medal to recognise all the<br />
help we have been able to give the<br />
CUBAN people in their struggles.<br />
Cuba has recently been ravaged by<br />
Page 2 Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
in Cuba’s May Day parade<br />
Kevin Reynolds presents a cheque for 12,600<br />
Euro’s to Salvador Valdes-Meza, General<br />
Secretary of the Cuban Federation of Workers.<br />
3 hurricanes destroying a lot of their<br />
major infrastructure. I was therefore<br />
pleased to be able to present a<br />
cheque on behalf of all the CFMEU<br />
delegates for 12,600 EURO’s which<br />
will help to rebuild local housing.<br />
APHEDA (Union Aid Abroad)<br />
donated a further $220,000 towards<br />
rebuilding the Cuban Children’s<br />
Hospital and to help buy much<br />
needed medical equipment.<br />
One thing that stands out when you<br />
go to Cuba is they don’t have much<br />
after years of being blockaded by<br />
the US Government, but what they<br />
do have they share and they get on<br />
with leading a productive life.<br />
It was interesting to catch up with<br />
other union leaders from around the<br />
world including the USA and Canada<br />
and delegates from UCAT (Union of<br />
Construction Allied Trades &<br />
Technicians) from the U.K. – they all<br />
face similar struggles as we do here<br />
in Australia, and it was refreshing to<br />
have an exchange of views and<br />
swap ideas and tactics about how<br />
best to achieve victory in these<br />
struggles. Safety is an important<br />
issue all around the world, which<br />
leads me thank all those workers<br />
who supported the ‘International<br />
Day of Mourning’ rally and march at<br />
Solidarity Park on April 28th.<br />
Joe McDonald addresses the Huge CFMEU<br />
crowd at the Day of Mourning Rally<br />
It’s heartening to see that so many<br />
members drew a line in the sand to<br />
say they won’t put up with shoddy<br />
safety procedures and unsafe<br />
workplaces.<br />
It sent a clear message to Worksafe<br />
WA that they are not out on sites<br />
doing their job effectively. Worksafe<br />
needs to focus more on preventing<br />
workplace accidents leading to<br />
death and injury rather investigating<br />
horrific events after the horse has<br />
well and truly bolted.<br />
I would like to give a message of<br />
support to our comrades in the West<br />
Gate Bridge dispute. Let’s make one<br />
thing clear, when you have<br />
employers’ who reneged on<br />
agreements and then bring in Scabs<br />
to take good jobs from our<br />
members, you are asking for<br />
trouble!<br />
BETRAYED!<br />
Before the last election Labor<br />
politicians were saying the ABCC<br />
had to go. Here’s what Penny Wong<br />
said on 7 September 2005, “Why is<br />
it that building workers in this<br />
country ought to be treated<br />
differently to other workers? We do<br />
not think it is appropriate to put<br />
one set of workers under far<br />
harsher and more stringent<br />
regulation than another set.”<br />
Now that Rudd has been elected<br />
that tune has changed as we saw<br />
from Julia Gillard at the ACTU<br />
national congress. It is a disgrace<br />
how they blatantly say one thing<br />
and mean another – they are in<br />
effect, liars! At least with Howard we<br />
knew where we stood.<br />
We now have another union<br />
member, Ark Tribe, facing 6 months<br />
jail for refusing to be interviewed by<br />
the ABCC. Like Noel Washington<br />
before him, Ark will get all our<br />
support in our fight to achieve one<br />
fair law for all.<br />
Finally, I would like to thank all those<br />
members who exercised their<br />
democratic rights and voted in the<br />
State CFMEU WA elections.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Kevin Reynolds<br />
State Secretary<br />
CFMEU WA<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 3<br />
CFMEU
D AY O F M O U R N I N G R A L LY<br />
Big CFMEU turn up for<br />
Workers proudly carry our banner: Bury Worksafe not Workers!<br />
WORKSAFE TARGETED AS INEFFECTIVE<br />
It was the largest turn out ever, spurred on by the spate of deaths WA has seen this year in the North West. The<br />
International Day of Mourning is an annual event held on April 28th. It was proclaimed by the United Nations to honour<br />
the lives of those who have died or were injured carrying out their work.<br />
It was a proud day to see around 3000 CFMEU members march<br />
up St Georges Terrace to Solidarity Park where national CFMEU<br />
Assistant Secretary, Martin Kingham and Joe McDonald gave a<br />
rousing speech to members after the official ceremonies had<br />
taken place.<br />
Along the way members carried 100 black flags and 5 black<br />
coffins to commemorate and honour fallen comrades.<br />
In the march up the Terrace a minute was taken to give the ABCC<br />
a verbal spray, no doubt they were all looking on, sitting safely in<br />
their ivory tower in the QV1 Building. It also sent a strong<br />
message that workers are not going to take their crap anymore –<br />
and that their pursuit of unions under Rudd’s anti construction<br />
worker laws by making it hard for union officials to get on site<br />
The Murrie family sadly reflect on the Life of a son and and check safety procedures is wrong, immoral and a disgrace<br />
brother, Luke Murrie – His death will not be in vain. to freedom and democracy.<br />
Page 4 Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
Day of Mourning Rally<br />
Trish Kelsh and<br />
family continue to<br />
mourn the loss of<br />
husband and father,<br />
Des Kelsh. Trish<br />
says more workers<br />
die each year in<br />
accidents than in<br />
war. She’s right!<br />
Workers show support and solidarity.<br />
The amount of deaths and injuries<br />
on site is not helped by the total<br />
ineffectiveness of Worksafe. They<br />
have become investigators of death<br />
rather than being preventers.<br />
There’s been too many deaths, too<br />
many injuries and not enough<br />
action. We need safer worksites, not<br />
gravesites.<br />
MORE SUPPORT NEEDED FROM OTHER UNIONS!<br />
The International Day of Mourning needs greater active participation from all<br />
other unions. Their members need to be well organised in advance and attend<br />
the ceremony at Solidarity Park on the day itself. And that includes higher<br />
representation from white collar unions as well as blue collar.<br />
There can not be a better reason for ALL unions to show solidarity than to rally<br />
and march for workplace safety and pay homage to those who lost their lives<br />
in the course of going to work. Let’s hope there is a much bigger turnout from<br />
other unions next year!<br />
Enough is enough.<br />
Let our union on<br />
more sites to keep<br />
them safe.<br />
A prayer for fallen comrades<br />
Trina’s husband<br />
Joseph died aged<br />
39 in 2000 in an<br />
accident building<br />
Acacia Prison.<br />
Brenda Taylor lost<br />
her son Andrew in<br />
1979. He died<br />
from burns 3<br />
weeks after his<br />
horrific accident<br />
on a worksite<br />
Maddington.<br />
Tragically he was<br />
just 16 years old.<br />
Trina Guagliado left and Brenda Taylor right.<br />
Check out our website www.<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com for information on workplace safety<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 5<br />
CFMEU
U N I O N N E W S<br />
with Kevin Reynolds<br />
Has Kevin Rudd lost the plot?<br />
• No Pension at 65 –<br />
just more years<br />
paying Tax!<br />
• Construction workers<br />
to toil until age 67<br />
• Jenny Macklin says if<br />
workers don’t like it<br />
get re-trained!<br />
The proposal to extend the<br />
mandatory retirement age to 67, is<br />
straight out the book ‘‘How to<br />
succeed in being a one-term<br />
Government”. Along with Rudd’s<br />
support of the ABCC and now this<br />
he is doing his best to alienate those<br />
who helped to get him elected back<br />
in 2007.<br />
There’s also a view to restrict<br />
access to superannuation until 67!<br />
This will be the thin end of the<br />
wedge. If they are allowed to get<br />
away with this, then you can bet<br />
your bottom dollar (if you have any<br />
left) that 70 will be next, or even 75!<br />
Workers in construction spend<br />
years performing arduous tasks,<br />
their bodies are put under physical<br />
stress like few other industry<br />
occupations.<br />
They pay their taxes and are entitled<br />
to take up their old age pension at a<br />
reasonable age. Age 65!<br />
“ If I<br />
could<br />
remember<br />
where my<br />
hard hat<br />
was I’d<br />
wear it!”<br />
Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin said; MANUAL labourers should<br />
look at re-skilling in their mid-50s to ease the burden on their bodies. Who are<br />
they kidding? It reeks of arrogance!<br />
We ask, what does a scaffy, concreter, carpenter, brickie, crane driver, etc be<br />
re-skilled as in their mid 50’s?<br />
Treasurer Wayne Swan said blue-collar workers would have to stay on the job<br />
another two years to get the pension, despite "the stress on their bodies over<br />
time".<br />
It seems voters agree that this is unfair policy. A recent opinion poll showed<br />
more than two-thirds of respondents believe it is unfair for labourers and<br />
tradesmen to work an extra two years.<br />
You can count on your union to fight this every step of the way.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 7<br />
CFMEU
O H & S U P D AT E<br />
with Mick Buchan<br />
CFMEU wins urine test victory<br />
THE indignity of being marched to a<br />
special cubicle to pee in a jar – the<br />
most common way an increasing<br />
number of employers test for drug<br />
use – will be replaced by mouth<br />
swabs for 200 Shell staff in a<br />
breakthrough ruling that could also<br />
provide greater privacy for other<br />
workers.<br />
In what it describes as a “significant<br />
decision in protecting employee’s<br />
privacy and improving drug and<br />
alcohol testing standards<br />
throughout the workforce”, the<br />
CFMEU Mining and Energy Union<br />
has won a major case on random<br />
drug testing.<br />
Union National Legal Officer Judy<br />
Gray, who ran the case on behalf of<br />
CFMEU members employed at<br />
Shell’s Clyde Refinery and Gore Bay<br />
Terminal, said that the decision to<br />
introduce oral fluid testing rather<br />
than urine samples in random drug<br />
testing would end “a widespread<br />
practice that is not only a violation<br />
of privacy but also not as accurate<br />
in detecting possible employee<br />
impairment in the workplace”.<br />
The CFMEU’s proposal to use oral<br />
fluid samples in random tests rather<br />
than urine sampling was opposed<br />
by Shell and under an agreement<br />
between the Union and the<br />
Company the dispute went to<br />
private arbitration, heard by a Senior<br />
Deputy President of the AIRC,<br />
Jonathan Hamberger.<br />
The Senior Deputy President ruled<br />
in favour of the Union’s case and<br />
Shell appealed to a Review Panel<br />
headed by the President of the<br />
We’re not taking the piss anymore!<br />
AIRC, Justice Geoffrey Giudice. The Review Panel upheld the ruling in favour<br />
of the Union and in handing down its decision said: “The Senior Deputy<br />
President made three critical findings. First, he found that a urine test can<br />
detect the use of drugs some days, rather than hours, beforehand (“the wide<br />
‘window of detection’“). Secondly, he found that oral fluid testing detects<br />
recent use only and is therefore less likely to detect drug use in an employee’s<br />
own time. Finally, he concluded that while neither test measures impairment, a<br />
positive oral fluid test is far more likely to indicate actual impairment than a<br />
positive urine test. In the circumstances His Honour decided that it would be<br />
unjust and unreasonable to permit random urine testing…”<br />
An independent inquiry into the increased use of random drug testing in the<br />
workplace in Britain in 2004, in response to an influx of US drug testing<br />
companies there, found there was no justification for urine tests to police<br />
employees' private lives, and there was no strong link between drug use and<br />
accidents in safety-critical areas. Instead, lack of sleep and excessive<br />
workloads were more likely to be accident factors.<br />
“Drug testing – intervening into an employee's body, breaking that<br />
corporal boundary…at the moment the evidence for it is not<br />
there.”<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 9<br />
CFMEU
A C T U C O N G R E S S<br />
with Kevin Reynolds<br />
BETRAYED! Different name, same powers<br />
Delegates wear yellow shirts in protest!<br />
Gillard delivers her speech at the ACTU congress<br />
At least with John Howard and the<br />
Liberal party you knew what you<br />
were dealing with. You knew where<br />
you stood! This mob led by Rudd<br />
and Gillard is a bunch of liars. They<br />
make promises only to break them.<br />
At the last election they inferred they<br />
would dismantle the ABCC and their<br />
coercive powers, but all they<br />
propose to do is change the name<br />
of the ABCC from 2010 – so when<br />
Julia Gillard got up at he ACTU<br />
congress and said the ABCC is<br />
going, she was technically right. The<br />
name is going but the powers are<br />
staying. This has to be the most<br />
manipulative piece of skullduggery<br />
in Australian industrial history.<br />
These are not Howard’s laws any<br />
longer. They are Rudd’s laws. It’s a<br />
disgrace what they have done to the<br />
good and honest workers who<br />
voted for the ALP in 2007.<br />
Confronting hundreds of yellowshirted<br />
union delegates (yellow to<br />
reflect the cowardice of the RUDD<br />
Government) at the ACTU Congress<br />
in Brisbane, Gillard defiantly told<br />
unions they would be better off<br />
“pounding the pavements” in<br />
support of the Fair Work Act than<br />
lobbying in Canberra for a second<br />
wave of workplace change. How<br />
arrogant is that?<br />
Amid heckling and cries of “shame”,<br />
Gillard said Labor would honour its<br />
election commitment to abolish the<br />
Australian Building and<br />
Construction Commission and<br />
replace it next year. However, she<br />
made it clear the Government would<br />
not agree to the union push to<br />
remove the new inspectorate's<br />
coercive powers.<br />
The Workplace Relations Minister<br />
then provoked hostility from the<br />
audience when she referred to<br />
allegations against building workers<br />
involved in Melbourne's West Gate<br />
bridge dispute – note the use of the<br />
word ‘allegations’ – yet she (an ex<br />
lawyer) was all too ready to accept<br />
that as evidence to hang the union<br />
movement and use it as some sort<br />
of reasoning to keep the powers of<br />
the ABCC in place.<br />
"It is easy for people to smear<br />
construction workers – that is what<br />
we saw from the Liberal Party," said<br />
Dave Noonan, the National<br />
Secretary of the Construction,<br />
Forestry, Mining and Energy Union's<br />
Construction Division.<br />
ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said<br />
the Federal Government was failing<br />
in its duty to protect the families of<br />
workers in the construction industry.<br />
“More than 40 workers have died on<br />
construction sites in the past year –<br />
every one of these deaths is a<br />
tragedy that affects families, friends,<br />
workmates and the whole<br />
community.<br />
The high level of deaths and injuries<br />
in the construction industry is a<br />
national disgrace and yet safety<br />
standards have got worse in the<br />
period the Australian Building and<br />
Construction Commission (ABCC)<br />
has operated.<br />
In the four years since the Howard<br />
Government set it up to pursue an<br />
anti-union political agenda, the<br />
ABCC has failed to adequately deal<br />
with employers who break the law<br />
or cut corners on safety.”<br />
The cost to run the ABCC is<br />
tantamount to ‘financial<br />
pornography’ in the current<br />
economic climate. It does nothing to<br />
enhance working conditions,<br />
protect workers rights or safety. Its<br />
sole purpose is to destroy unions<br />
and in the process deny workers<br />
and their families’ basic human<br />
rights.<br />
If the Rudd Gillard Government<br />
does not dismantle the coercive<br />
powers of the yet to be newly<br />
named ABCC – and have One Law<br />
for All, it could well be signing its<br />
own death warrant for re-election in<br />
2010. No amount of camouflage or<br />
spin will convince workers that the<br />
Fair Work Bill is an end to<br />
Workchoices. Workers and their<br />
families will see through the deceit<br />
and vote accordingly.<br />
WATCH: The Ark Tribe Story on<br />
the Homepage of our website: He<br />
is facing 6 months jail for<br />
standing up for his rights.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 11<br />
CFMEU
A B C C U P D AT E<br />
SA workmate facing up to 6 months jail!<br />
Construction workers are being hounded by the<br />
ABCC, over efforts to fix safety problems on jobs.<br />
This time, the Government backed<br />
enforcer ABCC has seized on an<br />
incident at the Flinders University<br />
Education building site in South<br />
Australia last year.<br />
For weeks, workers had complained<br />
to the contractor, Hindmarsh<br />
Constructions, about what they<br />
believed was shoddy safety. But<br />
their complaints were ignored.<br />
When a CFMEU organiser visited<br />
the site, his entry was obstructed.<br />
Then the police turned up, asked a<br />
few questions and left. But a union<br />
presence on the site was resisted.<br />
Hindmarsh locked everyone out of<br />
the job on Saturday May 31 – for<br />
safety reasons, the workers were<br />
told. Sick and tired of Hindmarsh<br />
ignoring safety, the workers signed<br />
a petition – on a paper hand-towel<br />
from the toilets – for a Safety<br />
Committee and for the union to be<br />
involved. Management refused to<br />
accept the petition. When the Union<br />
became aware of the workers’<br />
safety concerns, Safe Work SA was<br />
asked to visit the site. On Monday,<br />
prohibition notices were issued. The<br />
problems were then fixed and work<br />
resumed as normal.<br />
ABCC UNDERMINES SAFETY<br />
Then the ABCC arrived at the site<br />
and began nosing around. They<br />
want to know who said what about<br />
the safety issues and tried to haul<br />
workers in to answer questions. The<br />
employer was not questioned about<br />
the Saturday lock-out or the safety<br />
problems, of course. One worker,<br />
Ark Tribe, has been charged with<br />
refusing to answer ABCC questions<br />
and faces court, and a possible jail<br />
sentence, in the next few months.<br />
The Rudd Labor Government<br />
refuses to recognise how its special<br />
construction laws and the ABCC are<br />
putting workers’ lives at risk.<br />
Demand an end to<br />
Federal Government<br />
laws that undermine<br />
safety and stop unions<br />
from looking after their<br />
members.<br />
Ark Tribe is a rigger and rank and file<br />
member of the CFMEU in South<br />
Australia. He was working on the<br />
Hindmarsh job at Flinders University<br />
when a safety dispute arose last<br />
year. Ark was summonsed for<br />
questioning by the ABCC. The<br />
ABCC has now decided to charge<br />
him with an offence of failing to<br />
attend the interview at the<br />
appointed time. Ark has to front<br />
court to defend the unreasonable<br />
charges. If he has done something<br />
wrong, he is prepared to cop it, but<br />
he won’t be treated unfairly.<br />
Ark has been charged with failing to<br />
attend an ABCC interview.<br />
“I’m prepared to go<br />
to court where I<br />
can be represented<br />
by the lawyer of<br />
my choice.<br />
I believe I have a<br />
right to a fair<br />
hearing.”<br />
Rudd and Gillard’s dogs go after<br />
another decent working class Aussie.<br />
He is happy to go to a proper court<br />
of law and be treated like every<br />
other Australian with an opportunity<br />
to have a fair hearing. He wants to<br />
work in a safe environment. He<br />
believes he has the right not to put<br />
himself at risk. He is just doing what<br />
he believes in and has always done<br />
in his life – to Ark it’s nothing<br />
special. He just wants the same<br />
rights at work as other Australians.<br />
Ark will face court in the next few<br />
months, charged with refusing to<br />
answer ABCC questions. If found<br />
guilty, he could do six months in jail.<br />
continued overleaf<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 13<br />
CFMEU
continued from previous page<br />
OHS problems raised at the Hindmarsh site –<br />
• Plant operated by unlicensed workers<br />
• Scaffold with improper access<br />
• No access, egress signage<br />
• Unusable amenities<br />
• Lack of overhead protection<br />
• No change rooms<br />
• No clean drinking water<br />
• No evacuation plan<br />
But Hindmarsh Constructions has not been questioned<br />
by the ABCC about the safety problems or its decision to<br />
lock out workers.<br />
Support Ark Tribe now. Join the Australian<br />
Construction Unions’ campaign at:<br />
www.rightsonsite.org.au<br />
WATCH: The Ark Tribe Story on the Homepage<br />
of our website: He is facing 6 months jail for<br />
standing up for his rights.<br />
Members approving record<br />
number of new union EBA’s<br />
MORE EMPLOYERS SIGN OFF ON AGREEMENTS<br />
The new round of CFMEU<br />
Enterprise Bargaining Agreements is<br />
progressing in record numbers.<br />
Already, well over 130 agreements<br />
have been negotiated by the union,<br />
put to the members, voted up and<br />
signed off by their employers with a<br />
lot more nearing completion. It is<br />
anticipated there will be more<br />
CFMEU WA EBA’s lodged in <strong>2009</strong><br />
than there was during the last round<br />
of negotiations which took place in<br />
2005.<br />
CFMEU WA State Secretary Kevin<br />
Reynolds says, “During the last<br />
Union Federal Election the<br />
opposition candidates said that<br />
‘only a few builders’ would sign the<br />
new EBA.<br />
Most of the major builders have<br />
signed off and it looks like we will<br />
have a greater number of EBA’s<br />
lodged in <strong>2009</strong> than we did back in<br />
2005. This increase has been driven<br />
by numerous employers who have<br />
come on board in signing an EBA<br />
for the very first time.<br />
We have also had employers who<br />
went away from EBA’s come back<br />
into the system, realising that<br />
improved capacity and productivity<br />
stems from offering workers a fairer<br />
deal.<br />
Construction workers covered by<br />
a CFMEU negotiated EBA will<br />
receive a 15-16% wage increase<br />
over the next 3 years with further<br />
improvements to their conditions<br />
and 15-16% increases in site<br />
allowances. This is on top of union<br />
benefits such as trauma insurance,<br />
travel insurance and journey cover<br />
for those injured on their way to and<br />
from their place of work. In fact, we<br />
have increased trauma insurance<br />
cover to $270,000!.<br />
The CFMEU continues to fight and<br />
achieve better wage outcomes for<br />
its members than probably any<br />
other union in Australia. It’s no<br />
wonder more blue collar workers<br />
continuously choose us as the<br />
preferred union to belong to.”<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 15<br />
CFMEU
S A F E T Y N E W S<br />
with Mick Buchan<br />
John Holland admits poor safety record<br />
INTERNAL HOLLAND MEMO CONFIRMS WHAT THE CFMEU HAS BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG<br />
34 year old Mark McCallum<br />
was killed at Dalrymple Bay<br />
Coal Terminal in May 2007. A<br />
45 rigger was killed in<br />
Newman on March 19. His<br />
name was Wayne Moore.<br />
Both were employed by John<br />
Holland.<br />
In an absolutely astonishing<br />
admission, an internal John Holland<br />
memo from their Structural<br />
Mechanical Process GM, Brendan<br />
Petersen, admits that the current<br />
state of their safety performance is<br />
‘unsatisfactory’ and ‘unacceptable’.<br />
It goes on to say:<br />
“We have a safety objective of No<br />
Harm, however in the last twelve<br />
months there have been 81 serious<br />
injuries to our employees and<br />
subcontractors and we have had<br />
51 occasions where incidents have<br />
occurred with high potential for<br />
injury.”<br />
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE…<br />
“We also have sites that<br />
consistently allow work activities to<br />
be undertaken in an uncontrolled<br />
or unsafe manner, sites that don’t<br />
take employee concerns about<br />
unsafe workplace conditions<br />
seriously and sites that don’t<br />
report near misses so as to learn<br />
from them and ensure the<br />
situations never re-occur again”<br />
HOLLAND<br />
KEEPS CFMEU OUT OF ROLE<br />
TO IMPROVE SAFETY<br />
As a result of having such a poor<br />
safety record, Holland’s have<br />
embarked on a process to try and<br />
improve their on-site safety<br />
procedures. However there will be<br />
no role for unions such as ours to<br />
play. John Holland and their<br />
associated companies such as<br />
Leighton’s have a history of making<br />
it hard for unions to have access to<br />
their sites to review and audit safety<br />
procedures. They won’t talk or tap<br />
into our vast knowledge base and<br />
experience about workplace safety<br />
– this ignorant attitude is costing<br />
lives.<br />
The sooner companies like<br />
Holland’s understand that union<br />
sites are safer sites the better off<br />
their workers will be.<br />
We also have to question their<br />
observation that accidents<br />
and near misses go<br />
unreported. We have reason to<br />
believe that many workers on<br />
anti-union sites are afraid to<br />
speak up about un-safe work<br />
procedures and poor safety<br />
standards for fear of getting<br />
sacked or even blacklisted.<br />
COMCARE NOT UP TO<br />
POLICING SAFETY<br />
John Holland was the first and<br />
only construction contractor to opt<br />
out of State Workers Compensation<br />
when the Howard Government<br />
expanded access to the Comcare<br />
Scheme. The CFMEU objected<br />
strongly to this because our view is<br />
that Comcare doesn’t have enough<br />
resources to police the dangerous<br />
construction industry and our<br />
concern about benefits.<br />
LIVES WORTH FIGHTING<br />
FOR…<br />
It’s no secret that we have had our<br />
run-ins with John Holland and their<br />
associated companies over the<br />
years – but we make no apology for<br />
placing the lives and well being of<br />
workers ahead of any action their<br />
bosses might choose to take.<br />
Report unsafe worksites – your<br />
life depends on it: Call the union<br />
office on 92211055 or call your<br />
Organiser.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 17<br />
CFMEU
C I T Y R O U N D U P<br />
with Mick Buchan and Matt Waters<br />
Recession news not all bad in the City<br />
Considering they are saying it’s the<br />
worst economic crisis we have seen<br />
in the past 70 years there’s still<br />
plenty happening in the city. While<br />
jobs such as Century City, Arccon<br />
Murray Street and the two<br />
apartment blocks Skye and the Rise<br />
for Diploma are starting to wind up,<br />
there is a few more just kicking off.<br />
Diploma has just started the Zenith<br />
Project with AT Concrete looking<br />
after the structure. Will & Dom are<br />
down there with the crew from Rise<br />
and are looking forward to building<br />
the job which consists of a 24<br />
storey apartment complex featuring<br />
Perth’s first car stacker.<br />
The C-Bus 140 William Street and<br />
Raine Square sites are moving on<br />
with around 12 months until<br />
practical completion. There are a<br />
few more jobs just kicking off<br />
around town such as Emco Bennett<br />
Street with the crews of Cowan and<br />
Hamilton Formwork and<br />
Presidential Steel Fixing. Psaros<br />
have started a little job next to union<br />
office and Vibapile have started<br />
piling on Broads Elder Street car<br />
park with Westcoast Formwork.<br />
industry at the moment. I mean this<br />
time last year employer’s were hiring<br />
a plenty and now the pencil is being<br />
sharpened across the board. If you<br />
bring up a safety issue you’re<br />
labelled a trouble maker. It’s vitally<br />
important that you go home at the<br />
end of each day the same way you<br />
got there in the morning, ALIVE!<br />
Volunteer fire fighters boots donation.<br />
Rock Solid Concrete Cutting and Presidential<br />
Steelfixing raised the $1600 required to<br />
purchase the fire fighting boots required by<br />
Jason and his crew of volunteer fire fighters.<br />
It’s surprising to think that volunteers have to<br />
supply their own boots.<br />
Paramount Scaffolding on the old<br />
heritage Wellington building C-Bus,<br />
140 William Street site.<br />
AT Concreters on the Zenith Apartments,<br />
101 Murray Street site, pouring the 1500<br />
cubic meters raft slab<br />
Next door Inner-city building are<br />
coming out the ground and moving<br />
forward to erecting tower crane<br />
Number 3. The crews from<br />
Advanced Formwork, Wunderbar<br />
and Westcrete are down there with<br />
Barrett and Lukey looking after the<br />
boys. As difficult as it is with those<br />
Wright brothers!!!<br />
Westralia Square is full steam ahead<br />
with the jump form completed 6<br />
levels and 4 completed levels of<br />
floor space. The crews from<br />
Form700, CASC and New Wave<br />
Concrete will be busy for some time<br />
considering it’s a 52 storey job.<br />
Emco Crew on Bennett Street – Safer<br />
worksites not grave sites.<br />
It’s too early to quote starting dates<br />
but Fraser’s property will be building<br />
a 20 storey hotel and car park on the<br />
old Perth bus depot next to the East<br />
Perth lock up. And it looks<br />
promising that Australand will<br />
finalise 2 residential towers on<br />
Wellington Street, East Perth.<br />
Just to finish up we would like to<br />
reiterate the fact that safety is<br />
paramount, with the climate of the<br />
Anchor crew feature formwork at Central TAFE<br />
Northbridge “where’s Robin”<br />
There are far too many serious<br />
injuries and fatalities within our<br />
industry at the moment. Look after<br />
yourself and your work mates. Don’t<br />
be the one to say “If only”!<br />
If you have an issue and no one is<br />
listening contact us by phone,<br />
text us, call the union office but<br />
don’t do anything. We will turn up!<br />
Remember SAFETY before PROFITS!<br />
Report unsafe sites and work<br />
practices to:<br />
Matt Waters 0419 812 875 or<br />
Mick Buchan 0419 812 861<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 19<br />
CFMEU
P O L I T I C A L N E W S<br />
Labor lose heartland of working class<br />
After 85 years the<br />
WA Labor Party<br />
loses its jewel in<br />
the crown.<br />
For those of you who attended the<br />
great event that was May Day <strong>2009</strong><br />
you may have noticed that there<br />
was a small group of people in red<br />
shirts standing around an even<br />
smaller table. The group had come<br />
along for the day to support Peter<br />
Tagliaferri, the Labor Party’s<br />
endorsed candidate for the state<br />
seat of Fremantle, and raise his<br />
profile amongst the trade union<br />
movement before the May byelection.<br />
As the Mayor of the City of<br />
Fremantle Tagliaferri is well known in<br />
the Fremantle area, but he is not<br />
widely known to the members of<br />
Western Australia’s trade unions. If<br />
Tagliaferri and his team were<br />
genuinely interested in those he<br />
would be working alongside, the<br />
effort would have been made to<br />
mingle into the crowds and get to<br />
know some of the hardworking<br />
people that are proud union<br />
members. Instead the Tagliaferri<br />
team manned a small stall during<br />
the morning and joined the midday<br />
march but afterwards they were<br />
nowhere to be seen. This is not a<br />
good thing for someone who wants<br />
to hold a seat in Parliament<br />
representing the interests of the<br />
workers. The Australian Services<br />
Union claimed that Tagliaferri allowed<br />
a non-union agreement for staff that<br />
paid new employees 10 per cent less<br />
Jim McGinty’s<br />
lasting legacy;<br />
Turned<br />
Fremantle from<br />
a Labor Party<br />
stronghold into<br />
a marginal seat.<br />
for doing the same jobs as the<br />
existing workers! Whilst Tagliaferri<br />
has denied any involvement in the<br />
agreement negotiation it is not a good<br />
way to attempt a career as a Labor<br />
Member of Parliament. On the flip<br />
side to this, Tagliaferri’s opposing<br />
party, the Greens, also had a stall at<br />
May Day. A stall that was in place<br />
before, during and after the march<br />
allowing them the chance to meet all<br />
those who had come out for the day<br />
to celebrate the rights of workers.<br />
With the result of the May 16th<br />
election, there is every chance that<br />
the May Day exposure gave the<br />
Greens some extra support from the<br />
Fremantle community that allowed<br />
them to claim victory in the long<br />
standing Labor stronghold. We<br />
wonder if the ‘ALP May Day Team’<br />
spent the day canvassing support<br />
from talking to people from the ‘Freo<br />
wharf to the Markets’ or did they all<br />
disappear?<br />
FOOTNOTE: It is Interesting that<br />
GREENS have a policy to totally<br />
get rid of the ABCC. (see Senator<br />
Rachel Siewert’s Anti-ABCC policy<br />
in the links section of our website<br />
at www.<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com). Given the<br />
working class background of<br />
Fremantle, could it be that the<br />
ALP’s inaction towards aspects of<br />
Howard’s Workchoices, especially<br />
the ABCC, had a bearing on this<br />
surprising result? Guess Rudd will<br />
find out in 2010!<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 21<br />
CFMEU
L E G A L M AT T E R S<br />
with Matthew Swinbourn<br />
Fair Work Act –<br />
Changes to<br />
Unfair Dismissal<br />
A new unfair dismissal system will<br />
come into effect on 1 July <strong>2009</strong>.<br />
Whilst this is an improvement on the<br />
existing system there will still be<br />
workers that fall through the cracks.<br />
WHAT IS AN UNFAIR<br />
DISMISSAL?<br />
It is where an employee has been<br />
dismissed in harsh, unjust or<br />
unreasonable circumstances. It<br />
does not include voluntary<br />
resignations or demotions. It can<br />
include forced resignations.<br />
WHAT IS TAKEN INTO<br />
ACCOUNT WHEN<br />
CONSIDERING WHETHER A<br />
DISMISSAL IS HARSH?<br />
• Was there a valid reason;<br />
• Was the employee told of the<br />
reason;<br />
• Was the employee given a<br />
chance to respond;<br />
• Was the employer allowed to<br />
have a support person present<br />
at meetings to discuss the<br />
dismissal;<br />
• If for poor performance, was<br />
there any prior warnings about<br />
poor performance; and<br />
• How big the employer is, and<br />
whether it has dedicated HR<br />
management.<br />
WHERE CAN YOU MAKE AN<br />
UNFAIR DISMISSAL CLAIM?<br />
The Australian Industrial Relations<br />
Commission will no longer be<br />
responsible for unfair dismissals.<br />
Fair Work Australia (FWA) will now<br />
have responsibility for unfair<br />
dismissals.<br />
WHO CAN MAKE AN UNFAIR<br />
DISMISSAL CLAIM?<br />
Currently you can only make a claim<br />
if your employer employs 101 or<br />
more employees, and you have<br />
completed the qualifying period of<br />
employment, which is 6 months (this<br />
is not the same as probation).<br />
In the future if you’re full or part-time<br />
and you work for an employer who<br />
employs more than 15 full time<br />
equivalent (FTE) employees, and<br />
you’ve been with that employer for<br />
more than 6 months, you may be<br />
entitled to make a claim.<br />
If you work for a small business (i.e.<br />
less than 15 FTE’s), or you’re a<br />
casual, you need to be employed for<br />
more than 12 months.<br />
WHAT ABOUT THE<br />
OPERATIONAL REASONS<br />
EXCLUSION?<br />
Currently, if you’re dismissed for an<br />
‘operational reason’, even if it is<br />
unfair, you can’t make a claim.<br />
In the future you will only be<br />
excluded if there has been a<br />
genuine redundancy. A genuine<br />
redundancy means the employer no<br />
longer requires your job to be done<br />
by anyone (not just because they<br />
want to pay somebody less to do<br />
your job) and they have properly<br />
consulted about the redundancy. It<br />
won’t be a genuine if it is reasonable<br />
for the employer to redeploy you.<br />
HOW LONG WILL YOU HAVE<br />
TO MAKE A CLAIM?<br />
You will only have 14 days from the<br />
time of the dismissal to make a<br />
claim.<br />
WHAT WILL THE REMEDIES<br />
BE?<br />
Reinstatement will be the preferred<br />
remedy, otherwise, compensation<br />
instead of reinstatement.<br />
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF<br />
YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN<br />
UNFAIRLY DISMISSED?<br />
If you think that you have been<br />
unfairly dismissed, contact the<br />
Union immediately. It is important<br />
that you contract us as soon as<br />
possible because of the 14 day<br />
time limit. We will review the<br />
circumstances of your dismissal and<br />
make a claim for you if there are<br />
grounds to do so.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 23<br />
CFMEU
D E L E G AT E T R A I N I N G<br />
with Matt Waters and Mick Buchan<br />
NEW Delegates on way for WA!<br />
Proud and strong: New Delegate trainees for the CFMEU<br />
We have begun a program to recruit and develop<br />
the next generation of union delegates and<br />
activists to help build the strength of the union<br />
into the future.<br />
The program is focused on developing young<br />
activists by giving them training and mentoring on<br />
and off the job and building their experience now,<br />
while we still have a team of strong and very<br />
experienced delegates there to support them.<br />
With the assistance of Dave Garland from the ACTU<br />
organising centre, Mick Buchan and Matt Waters are<br />
putting together a solid training and development<br />
program that has already included some coaching and<br />
mentoring training for senior delegates.<br />
“It was a great day out the training centre. These guys<br />
(senior CFMEU delegates) are great rank and file<br />
leaders of the CFMEU. They really want to leave a<br />
legacy on the job when they retire in five or ten years<br />
and I admire that.” Dave Garland said.<br />
“Any young activist who puts their hand up to be part<br />
of this program will be privileged to have the likes of<br />
Cam, Ian, Les, or any of these guys, mentoring them”<br />
Mick Buchan said.<br />
Between the 12 guys that attended the training session<br />
we calculated that there was over 300 years CFMEU<br />
delegate experience in the room.<br />
“What amazed me was that when we did the maths, we<br />
realized that nearly 200 years of that experience will be<br />
leaving through retirement in the next five years. I was<br />
shocked, we were all taken back a bit” said Matt Waters.<br />
Fortunately this is something CFMEU WA Secretary<br />
Kevin Reynolds has considered and the work is well<br />
underway to make sure the union stays strong into the<br />
future. Kevin Reynolds says:<br />
“This work must begin now. You can’t replace a Job<br />
Delegate with 25 years experience with a new guy and<br />
expect the union to be as strong as a result.<br />
Sometimes it has to happen, but if we plan for it now,<br />
it won’t be an issue.”<br />
The program itself is run in groups of ten and has two off<br />
the job training courses and two on the job organising<br />
projects. Regular, planned contact with an organiser and<br />
ongoing mentoring from senior delegates will ensure that<br />
new activists can build their confidence, knowing that<br />
support and encouragement is there when needed.<br />
To become part of this program, contact Mick Buchan<br />
on 0419 812 861 or Matt Waters on 0419 812 875<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 25<br />
CFMEU
O F F C U T S<br />
with Joe McDonald<br />
Keeping you informed with recent<br />
construction news from around the nation<br />
BOSS UNDERCUTS<br />
AUSSIE WORKERS<br />
ADELAIDE: THE WORKPLACE<br />
Ombudsman will investigate<br />
exploitation of migrant workers on<br />
Adelaide construction sites.<br />
It was revealed some Chinese<br />
construction workers were being<br />
paid HALF the standard hourly<br />
rate and having food and<br />
accommodation costs taken from<br />
their pay.<br />
The Construction Forestry Mining<br />
Energy Union raised the alarm,<br />
claiming the quality of workmanship<br />
on Adelaide building sites was<br />
suffering.<br />
NOTE: If this is happening on your<br />
site in WA call your area CFMEU<br />
Organiser or the union office on<br />
9221 1055.<br />
$5.5 MILLION<br />
RECOVERED IN<br />
LOST PAY!<br />
NSW: There has been a battle<br />
raging among some workers who<br />
claim they haven't been paid by a<br />
subcontractor for the job. The<br />
CFMEU in NSW was looking into the<br />
allegations and non-payment was<br />
an increasing problem in the<br />
building and construction industry.<br />
"Since July last year the union has<br />
recovered $5.5 million in unpaid<br />
money in NSW. During the same<br />
period the year before, we<br />
recovered $2.8 million," he said.<br />
"This is due to a number of<br />
factors, including the global<br />
financial crisis and pyramid<br />
subcontracting arrangements."<br />
NOTE: If you’re not getting paid let<br />
us know now. Call the union office<br />
on 9221 1055<br />
KIDS EXPOSED TO<br />
ASBESTOS KILLER!<br />
QUEENSLAND: A school's second<br />
major health scare in less than two<br />
months has sparked calls for a<br />
review of the use of private<br />
contractors in state schools. The<br />
first incident occurred during school<br />
hours on April 7 at Undurba State<br />
School at Murrumba Downs, on<br />
Brisbane's northern outskirts, when<br />
wall sheeting containing asbestos<br />
was cut by private contractors to<br />
install an air-conditioning unit,<br />
creating a dust cloud in the<br />
classroom.<br />
NOTE: There are strict procedures<br />
in removing asbestos – The CSTC<br />
runs a special course. If in doubt, or<br />
you are aware of shonky removal<br />
processes call the union office.<br />
BROKEN LEG COSTS<br />
CONTRACTOR<br />
$65,000<br />
TOWNSVILLE: ABIGROUP Contractors<br />
Pty Ltd has been fined $65,000 after<br />
a labour hire worker was injured on<br />
a Townsville construction site in<br />
October 2007. The court heard that<br />
a 20 tonne excavator a worker was<br />
using to shift sand next to a pile of<br />
steel pylons clipped the end of the<br />
pylons causing the stack to<br />
collapse. A labour hire worker<br />
standing in front of the stack of<br />
pylons was knocked to the ground<br />
and sustained a broken right leg.<br />
The worker operating the excavator<br />
did not hold a Certificate of<br />
Competency and the site supervisor<br />
was aware of this. Although the<br />
worker had a log book pertaining to<br />
the operation of such plant at the<br />
time of the incident, he was not<br />
employed for that purpose. The<br />
worker was not being supervised by<br />
any person with appropriate<br />
certification. An exclusion zone was<br />
not maintained around the areas<br />
where the excavator was operating,<br />
and site-specific induction and<br />
instructions to workers had not<br />
been recorded.<br />
OUR FUTURE IS IN<br />
GOOD HANDS!<br />
QUEENSLAND: 16-year-old Kirwan<br />
High School student Leo<br />
Pozzebon's love for tools and<br />
problem solving has paid off after<br />
being named Construction Skills<br />
Queensland's Student of the Year<br />
receiving $2000 for his efforts.<br />
``Ever since I was young I have loved<br />
working with tools and problem<br />
solving practical projects,'' he said.<br />
``I am passionate and committed to<br />
my career in the construction<br />
industry.<br />
“The benefits I have gained from<br />
training in the construction industry<br />
are that I have gained more<br />
confidence in myself and it has<br />
helped me improve my<br />
communication and problem<br />
solving skills.”<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 27<br />
CFMEU
S P O T T H E H A Z A R D<br />
Port Hedland: This used to be a dual<br />
crane lift, Now it’s back to a duel<br />
crane lift<br />
IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE.<br />
“hey mate” Just an observation<br />
you need new boots.<br />
Working platform: you want me to<br />
go up there? I don’t think so!<br />
Burnt out<br />
sent fumes<br />
through the<br />
building.<br />
Surely there is<br />
“But my employer won’t buy me<br />
safety boots.” (Hays employee)<br />
We shouldn’t be doing this, but this<br />
is how we’ve been told to do it.<br />
“HELLO” anyone Down There...Down There...<br />
Gavin Constructions Down There<br />
Page 28 Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
Pyramid Constructions. “Even the Ancient<br />
Egyptians had better amenities”<br />
Doric Port<br />
Hedland<br />
Hospital:<br />
Even the<br />
blokes<br />
agree.<br />
The harness will not save you here…<br />
‘check out the access ladder‘<br />
Anyone seen that 4th<br />
screw jack!!!<br />
a BETTER option!!<br />
Handrail or Footrail<br />
Access to the<br />
toilets on this<br />
Northbridge<br />
Diploma site<br />
Hanssen Pty Ltd Milligan Street site….<br />
foot path or forklift path?<br />
Lucky escape!!<br />
One flash and your ash!<br />
Gavin Constructions<br />
Labourers<br />
were lucky to<br />
escape when<br />
this wall came<br />
down on the<br />
Inner-city<br />
Equus site.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 29<br />
CFMEU
M AY D AY R A L LY<br />
HUGE CFMEU turnout for May Day 09!<br />
We win the<br />
Eureka battle again!<br />
There was another battle of Eureka<br />
at this years May Day parade, a<br />
battle that we are glad to report was<br />
won by the CFMEU. Some nontraditionalists<br />
decided that they<br />
would have their own version of the<br />
famous eureka flag – a red colour<br />
one instead of the famous original<br />
blue flag. Blue won the day, as it<br />
should.<br />
In fact, there was a sea of blue flags<br />
as far as the eye could see as<br />
CFMEU members marched around<br />
Fremantle on the day. It was great to<br />
see so many families with their kids<br />
enjoy themselves.<br />
All our members proudly wore their<br />
free CFMEU safety shirts to<br />
highlight the importance of safety as<br />
part of our theme for May <strong>2009</strong>.<br />
PART OF A GREAT HISTORY.<br />
May Day is the international<br />
celebration of organised labour.<br />
Bonds of trade unionism spread<br />
world-wide with the demand for<br />
May Day to be recognised as a<br />
celebration of workers' rights.<br />
May Day originated during<br />
the 1880s as unions<br />
around the world united in the<br />
struggle to obtain an 8-hour work<br />
day for all. Following a long and<br />
sometimes violent struggle, 1 May<br />
was officially recognised as a day of<br />
demonstration in 1893.<br />
Australia's May Day activities<br />
officially began in 1890, although<br />
some workers had achieved the<br />
eight hour day as early as 1856. As<br />
more and more workers won the<br />
reduction in hours by solidarity and<br />
industrial action, the day was<br />
proclaimed as a holiday in all the<br />
states and became known as<br />
Labour Day.<br />
In 1948 when the State Labor Party<br />
decided to move the holiday to<br />
March and then to abandon the<br />
procession altogether, Fremantle<br />
stepped in. The port's unions<br />
decided to continue the traditional<br />
event in May and were joined by a<br />
number of WA unions. Since 1952 it<br />
has been one of the city's most<br />
colourful demonstrations of working<br />
class solidarity.<br />
The BLF on the March<br />
in 1981 – Still going strong!<br />
WILL MAY DAY BE IN<br />
FREMANTLE IN 2010?<br />
New Fremantle City Council<br />
regulations coming into effect will<br />
mean that there will be a NO alcohol<br />
policy on the Fremantle foreshore<br />
next year – this may mean that after<br />
so many years a new destination will<br />
need to found for the annual May<br />
Day parade. We think it is a wowser<br />
policy – given that members won’t<br />
be able to enjoy a few beers and<br />
glass of wine at a BBQ with their<br />
friends and family. Stay tuned for<br />
updates.<br />
BACK TO PERTH – HAVE YOUR<br />
SAY!<br />
Some thoughts are that if it has to<br />
move from Fremantle then Perth<br />
could be the venue, with the picnic<br />
at Wellington Square, or the Perth<br />
Esplanade<br />
If you have any thoughts please<br />
email them through to us at<br />
editor@<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com<br />
Turn the page for your souvenir lift-out Poster from May Day <strong>2009</strong><br />
▲<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 31<br />
CFMEU
MayDay’09
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 33<br />
CFMEU
TA K I N G A C T I O N<br />
with Joe McDonald<br />
Companies charged over Scaffy Deaths<br />
More than 100 workers on the site<br />
and passing pedestrians watched<br />
in horror as the workers<br />
desperately called for help and<br />
then fell to their deaths.<br />
THREE companies and a company<br />
director have been charged following<br />
an investigation into the deaths of<br />
two Gold Coast workers who fell<br />
from a swing stage scaffold on a<br />
Broadbeach high rise last year.<br />
Workplace Health and Safety<br />
Queensland laid the charges after<br />
concluding an investigation into the<br />
deaths of Chris Gear, 36, and Steve<br />
Sayer, 52, on June 21 last year.<br />
The men were fatally injured when<br />
the swing stage scaffold they were<br />
using to carry out concrete<br />
patchwork on the Pegasus high rise,<br />
then under construction, failed and<br />
fell 26 levels to the ground. More<br />
than 100 workers on the site and<br />
passing pedestrians watched in<br />
horror as the workers desperately<br />
called for help and then fell to their<br />
deaths. The men slid to one side of<br />
the stage when one side slumped<br />
before the entire structure collapsed<br />
and they fell. Between four and five<br />
identical swinging stages were<br />
working across the high rise at the<br />
time. The charges allege various<br />
breaches of the Workplace Health<br />
and Safety Act. Allscaff Systems Pty<br />
Ltd, which erected the swing stage,<br />
was charged with failing to ensure<br />
the plant was erected in a way that<br />
ensured it was safe when used<br />
properly.<br />
Report unsafe worksites – your life depends on it:<br />
Call the union office on 9221 1055 or call your Organiser.<br />
Hanssen Pty Ltd cops<br />
massive $40,000 fine<br />
HELP sign hanging from a Hanssen Pty<br />
Ltd site.<br />
Hanssen Pty Ltd has been fined a<br />
total of $40,000 for failing to ensure<br />
that tilt-up construction workers had<br />
completed approved courses after a<br />
panel collapsed at a site in East Perth.<br />
Hanssen Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to<br />
two charges under the Occupational<br />
Safety and Health Regulations and<br />
was fined $20,000 on each charge in<br />
the Perth Magistrates Court.<br />
In July 2006, WorkSafe inspectors<br />
attended a construction site in East<br />
Perth in response to a report that a<br />
tilt-up panel had collapsed at the<br />
site.<br />
In the process of issuing prohibition<br />
notices to the site manager, the<br />
inspectors discovered that two<br />
workers had not completed an<br />
approved tilt-up safety course for the<br />
aspect of work in which they were<br />
involved.<br />
When the inspectors returned to the<br />
site three days later, they found that<br />
one of the workers had still not<br />
completed an approved tilt-up safety<br />
course but was still performing tiltup<br />
work.<br />
Meanwhile another construction<br />
company was fined a total of<br />
$60,000 over the collapse of a<br />
seven-tonne tilt-up panel on a West<br />
Leederville site in 2007.<br />
JBT Corp Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to<br />
three charges under the<br />
Occupational Safety and Health<br />
Regulations and was fined $20,000<br />
on each charge in the Perth<br />
Magistrates Court.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 35<br />
CFMEU
T H E N O R T H W E S T R E P O R T<br />
with Brad Upton<br />
JOBS IN DEMAND IN THE NORWEST<br />
I’d also like to let all CFMEU members know that<br />
by this time next year in the Norwest there will be<br />
about 35,000 jobs starting or already going.<br />
There are several jobs starting at the end of this year<br />
employing up to 6000 on-site at the Gorgon project which is<br />
on Barrow Island and other jobs. For any more information on<br />
the jobs in the Norwest contact our office or myself Brad<br />
Upton on 0488 770 857.<br />
Gorgon gas project – employing up to 6000 workers<br />
Unfortunately we have lost another worker in the Pilbara with the death<br />
of Wayne Moore at the Newman Hub. Wayne was working for John<br />
Holland. Yet again, I believe the companies have got it wrong; they make<br />
the workers go through retraining with safety and send the workers back<br />
out in an unsafe environment.<br />
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the workers of<br />
Bluewater for giving money to help Wayne’s family; they spent a lot of<br />
time living in Collie. Our thanks also to the workers from Mono’s,<br />
Thyssen Krupp, and John Holland’s for giving money to help Wayne’s<br />
family. Deepest sympathy to all Wayne’s family from all the workers in<br />
the Norwest.<br />
As of 1 July we will be entering every site where there are existing or<br />
eligible CFMEU members. For all the companies that have not allowed<br />
us on-site to visit our members or to address safety issues ‘I will see you<br />
soon’.<br />
Tensions rise over lack of safety: Mass meeting<br />
at the Hub after Wayne’s tragic death.<br />
ATTEND OUR NORTH WEST<br />
MONTHLY MEMBER’S<br />
MEETINGS…<br />
I’d like to remind everybody that<br />
in the Norwest we have a monthly<br />
meeting on the third Monday of<br />
every month at the Karratha Rec<br />
Club 6:30pm.<br />
WE HAVE BUS PICK UP POINTS<br />
• Clough Harbour Works – Gap<br />
Ridge at 6.15pm<br />
• CBI Buses from Bay Village at<br />
6.15pm<br />
The North West Monthly<br />
Members meeting is an initiative<br />
of your Union so our members<br />
can have a direct say in their<br />
future. It will allow us to better<br />
inform members in the fight for<br />
better pay and conditions and to<br />
help protect jobs and ensure<br />
better safety. Get the latest news<br />
on your industry and what affects<br />
you. Meet and exchange views<br />
and ideas with other workmates.<br />
Find out what’s happening on<br />
other sites.<br />
The meetings so far have been a<br />
great success. I encourage all<br />
members to come down and<br />
have some input, bring along<br />
any co-workers interested, if<br />
they are not a member they can<br />
join up on the night. All<br />
welcome.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 37<br />
CFMEU
T H E S O U T H W E S T R E P O R T<br />
With Troy Smart<br />
Work still strong in South West<br />
Well done to all the workers at<br />
Bluewater’s for staying strong<br />
together over the Fly Ash dispute,<br />
lasting over 5 days. Thanks to the<br />
unions working together for a return<br />
to work. Only then did it come to an<br />
end within IHI agreeing to turn off<br />
the Power station 1 (one) for the<br />
workers to go and fix the leaks from<br />
missing welds and more work<br />
around the Hopper for the removal<br />
of Fly Ash. For the first time in this<br />
state the OHS Commission visited<br />
an engineering job to see how bad<br />
the Fly Ash was a problem, which<br />
has now resulted in a hearing soon<br />
over lost pay for shed time (Cabin<br />
Fever). When will the bosses learn<br />
the workers never back down over<br />
health and safety issues and will<br />
Fly Ash a health risk for workers<br />
always demand a safe working<br />
environment?<br />
With the job starting to wind down<br />
due for completion late this year,<br />
Safe and Sound Scaffolding has<br />
taken over all scaffolding on site<br />
from subbies – and looking to pick<br />
up more work in the South West.<br />
Boddington is coming to a finish<br />
very soon. Most of the subbies are<br />
moving up to Pluto.<br />
Worsley E&G side civil works are<br />
going full steam ahead with the<br />
budget of money going their way so<br />
they can finish most of the work<br />
before mechanical mobilises on<br />
site, Thiess being the biggest<br />
contractors in civil.<br />
The Worsley AEE Power Station<br />
side job progressing very well with<br />
civil well under way and the<br />
mechanical now on site, with AEE<br />
employing now with about 250<br />
needed. For info go to www.aeeaustralia.com.au<br />
Jobs starting to commence soon<br />
are:<br />
1. Busselton Jetty. $66 million at<br />
Marine and Civil. 60 workers.<br />
9256 5900 starting now.<br />
2. Desalination Plant at Binningup.<br />
Subbies known soon. $1 Billion.<br />
Starts August. 600 workers.<br />
FUTURE JOBS:<br />
1. Bluewater’s 3+4. $600 million.<br />
700 workers<br />
2. Worsley E+G Marradong mine<br />
site. $500 million. 400 workers<br />
3. Wellington Dam Upgrade. $100<br />
million. 200 workers<br />
4. Urea Plant Collie. $3.5 billion.<br />
200 workers.<br />
5. Worsley E+G Port workers.<br />
For a worker to refuse to belong to a<br />
union is not an exercise of<br />
democratic freedom! It is to accept<br />
benefits that others have worked for<br />
without a contribution to the cost.<br />
To join call Troy Smart on<br />
0419 812 871. See our membership<br />
benefits section on our website at<br />
www.<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com<br />
Busselton Jetty: Biggest Jetty in the southern hemisphere<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 39<br />
CFMEU
U N I O N N E W S<br />
with Kevin Reynolds<br />
It’s time for entitlement/wages protection<br />
We are pushing for workers to have<br />
all their entitlements and wages<br />
guaranteed in the event employers<br />
go broke. We want an insurance type<br />
scheme to cover this as part of union<br />
collective agreements. We are out to<br />
stop employers dipping into their<br />
workers' entitlements, using them as<br />
a loan.<br />
For far too long worker’s have been<br />
shafted when their employer goes<br />
bust.<br />
It is gut-wrenching to see long time<br />
loyal employees who have devoted<br />
their life to a company then get<br />
absolutely zip, through no fault of<br />
their own.<br />
This form of social insurance would<br />
be right up there with the likes of<br />
Medicare and Superannuation as a<br />
major social achievement in<br />
providing workers with greater<br />
protection and security,<br />
especially in situations where<br />
we have an economic<br />
downturn.<br />
We also have a view that<br />
corporations laws should be<br />
amended to put employee<br />
entitlements, such as holiday<br />
pay and superannuation, ahead<br />
of unsecured creditors. Workers<br />
should come before banks in<br />
terms of getting paid.<br />
Countries such as Germany, Denmark<br />
and South Korea have similar systems in<br />
place where a substantial<br />
percentage of workers' wages<br />
are guaranteed to cushion the<br />
effects of job losses.<br />
It’s early days yet, but the CFMEU has been at the forefront of public<br />
policy changes and advancements to workplace conditions over the years<br />
and we see no reason why this type of system cannot be achieved. Stay<br />
tuned!<br />
If the boss goes broke<br />
workers should get paid!<br />
WA IRC tosses out electoral case.<br />
A retuning officer’s alleged provision of an electoral roll to candidates<br />
in a union branch election was NOT an irregularity as defined under<br />
the WA Industrial Relations Act, the Western Australian Industrial<br />
Relations Commission has ruled.<br />
Dismissing an application for an inquiry into the roll’s use in the<br />
postponed CFMEUWA C&G state branch election, acting<br />
Commission President Mark Ritter has found he had no jurisdiction<br />
to hear the matter. The alleged irregularity did not fall within the scope<br />
of S69 of the WA IR Act, Mr. Ritter found. Even if the matter was<br />
covered, the allegations would almost certainly have been found<br />
‘moot’ because a new election had been called, he found. The State<br />
Election of the CFMEUWA C&G has since been held with the ballot<br />
ending on June 19th.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 41<br />
CFMEU
W O R K E R S R I G H T S<br />
with Jack Nicholas<br />
FAIR WORK ACT <strong>2009</strong><br />
What Does It Mean For You?<br />
The Rudd Government’s Fair Work Act <strong>2009</strong> (FWA) comes into operation on 1 July <strong>2009</strong> and<br />
replaces the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (WRA). Here’s a summary of what the transition<br />
to the FWA means for CFMEU members.<br />
If you’re covered by an agreement under the “old” WRA (eg Union Collective<br />
Agreement, Employee Collective Agreement, AWA, ITEA)...<br />
All agreements that were made under the WRA (old agreements) will continue to apply and<br />
operate as they have done up to now. Your employer must continue to provide all the pay<br />
and conditions it has promised to under the old agreement. Old agreements will continue<br />
to apply past their expiry dates until terminated or replaced by a new agreement.<br />
If you’re covered by a federal or state award and employed by a corporation...<br />
A new modernised award (e.g. the Building and Construction General On-site<br />
Award 2010, Joinery and Building Trades Award 2010, Mobile Crane Hiring<br />
Award 2010, Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award<br />
2010) will replace it on 1 January 2010. You can view the modernised awards at<br />
http://www.airc.gov.au/awardmod/fullbench/awards.htm.<br />
What about minimum conditions of employment?<br />
The FWA includes an expanded set of minimum conditions, the National Employment<br />
Standards (NES) that will apply to all employees of corporations from 1 January 2010.<br />
The NES provides basic standards covering maximum working hours, requests for<br />
flexible working arrangements, parental leave, annual leave, personal/carers and compassionate leave, community<br />
service leave, long service leave, public holidays and notice of termination. The NES will apply even if an old or new<br />
agreement or an old award provides for something less.<br />
If you’re dismissed...<br />
New unfair dismissal laws will apply that remove many of the old restrictions that stopped many members getting access<br />
to the system (see related article in this issue).<br />
If you want your CFMEU organiser to visit your workplace...<br />
Your organiser will still have to comply with similar procedures as they did under the WRA. The major change is that the<br />
old rules that stopped organisers getting on site because the employer had refused to negotiate an agreement with the<br />
CFMEU will go. Your organiser will now be entitled to exercise a right of entry whenever there are employees who are<br />
eligible to be members of the CFMEU.<br />
What about the ABCC?<br />
The FWA has not made any changes to the operation of the ABCC. Despite the recent Wilcox report failing to identify any<br />
evidence of the need for this anti-union agency, the Rudd Government has said it will retain the ABCC until 31 January<br />
2010 and then replace it with a specialist division of Fair Work Australia’s Inspectorate. The CFMEU will continue to fight<br />
for the removal of laws that unfairly targets building and construction workers.<br />
Note: You can access fact sheets on the operation of the FWA at:<br />
http://www.deewr.gov.au/WorkplaceRelations/NewWorkplaceRelations/Pages/FactSheets.aspx<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 43<br />
CFMEU
G E N E R A L N E W S<br />
Complaints from workers rise<br />
Unions needed more than ever in troubled times<br />
As the downturn hits and companies cut costs, more WA workers are being exploited,<br />
with complaints to the workplace watchdog soaring 26 per cent.<br />
Western Australia had the biggest increase in complaints in the first three months<br />
of this year, with complaints rising to 555 from 440 in the December quarter last<br />
year, according to figures from the Workplace Ombudsman.<br />
The jump in complaints from WA workers was much higher than the 15 per cent<br />
average national rise in the last quarter to 6094 complaints from 5292 in the<br />
December quarter.<br />
The jump indicated that the impending recession was driving<br />
companies to unlawfully cut employees’ wages and conditions.<br />
A Workplace Ombudsman spokesman said the number of<br />
complaints had been rising for a number of years.<br />
If you’re being exploited or nor getting your entitlements contact<br />
the union office on 9221 1055 or call your CFMEU Organiser.<br />
Royal Commissions:<br />
A BIG WASTE<br />
OF MONEY?<br />
The high cost of Royal Commissions...versus<br />
cheaper, less formal alternatives...will be a major<br />
focus of a federal review into the inquiries.<br />
Attorney-General ROBERT McCLELLAND announced a<br />
review of the 107-year-old Royal Commissions Act...<br />
which has witnessed little change since its inception<br />
during the first Australian parliament.<br />
The Australian Law Reform Commission has now issued<br />
a list of 49 questions to be canvassed in the nationwide<br />
inquiry... due to report back to Government in October.<br />
A major focus will be the high cost of Royal Commissions<br />
.. and whether taxpayers are getting value for money.<br />
In today's dollars the 2003 Royal Commission into the<br />
Building and Construction Industry cost taxpayers about<br />
$70 million...the HIH Royal Commission $47 million...and<br />
the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody<br />
more than $50 million.<br />
NOTE: The Cole Commission led to the establishment of<br />
the ABCC which has an annual budget of at least<br />
30 million dollars – a huge on-going waste of taxpayer’s<br />
money!<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 45<br />
CFMEU
U N I O N B E N E F I T S<br />
YOUR REDUNDANCY PAYMENTS:<br />
HELPING YOU AND OTHERS<br />
Steve Parsons is a concreter for<br />
Crown Construction, working at the<br />
Mandurah Peninsula Hotel site in<br />
2007-08. He was getting to work<br />
alright, but his workmates noticed<br />
he wasn’t his normal self, but<br />
seemed depressed.<br />
For almost 2 years Steve had not<br />
gone out much, was sleeping<br />
poorly, had no appetite and was<br />
feeling unmotivated, empty, lonely<br />
and worthless. He felt a strong<br />
responsibility to his daughter and<br />
knew he had to do something<br />
before it got worse.<br />
Steve spoke about his worries to the<br />
union steward on site, Cam<br />
McCullough, who suggested it might<br />
do some good to have a word with<br />
the Converge Counsellor Sergio Del<br />
Borrello. He called and we made an<br />
appointment to meet on-site.<br />
Steve’s boss, Vince from Crown,<br />
gave the ok. He understood the<br />
value in Steve getting help during<br />
work time.<br />
In a nutshell, Steve had gone<br />
through 3 big losses in a row. Firstly,<br />
the death of his ex wife, who had left<br />
him with the sole care of his<br />
daughter Hayley (12).<br />
Secondly his very close companion<br />
and life long neighbour Sid died.<br />
The final straw was when he had to<br />
make the difficult decision to put<br />
down his best friend and dog, Prue,<br />
following an illness.<br />
Steve and I discussed many things<br />
in counselling, including what he<br />
“Keeping<br />
it a secret<br />
is wrong”<br />
Steve Parsons left with<br />
Counsellor Sergio Del<br />
Borrello<br />
had lost in his life as well as the<br />
positive memories. After this we<br />
worked out what Steve needed to<br />
do to get back on track.<br />
Steve’s goals were to<br />
1. Socialise and go out more<br />
2. Be happy with himself<br />
3. Finish his house and garden<br />
4. Find a relationship partner<br />
After 3 weeks Steve began to look<br />
forward to work again and his<br />
workmates started to tell him that<br />
they had noticed a change in him.<br />
He was beginning to laugh and<br />
whistle again and was “starting to<br />
see the light at the end of the<br />
tunnel”.<br />
Now he has a new woman in his life,<br />
a new dog, Barney, and his<br />
depression has gone.<br />
Steve’s advice: “Keeping it a secret<br />
is wrong. As soon as I opened my<br />
mouth I knew I was doing the right<br />
thing. My life has turned around and<br />
life is perfect. If telling my story can<br />
help someone else then I am doing<br />
the right thing”.<br />
Worried about yourself?<br />
A workmate?<br />
Your family?<br />
Call the counsellors Sergio<br />
(CBD) and Godfrey (Outer<br />
suburbs) at Converge<br />
International on 1800 337 068.<br />
All discussions are confidential<br />
and free to WACIRF and<br />
CFMEU members and their<br />
families.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 47<br />
CFMEU
G E N E R A L N E W S<br />
Joe’s loss is a win for the workers<br />
CFMEU WA assistant secretary Joe<br />
McDonald, who is proud to put<br />
workers safety ahead of himself, was<br />
fined $1500 and ordered to pay $3000<br />
in costs after an appeal decision<br />
found that he broke the law by staying<br />
and talking to building site workers<br />
after he was asked to leave. Joe<br />
initially won the case but the case was<br />
appealed. Joondalup Magistrate Joe<br />
Randazzo said the assistant secretary<br />
of the Construction, Forestry, Mining<br />
and Energy Union "deliberately<br />
ignored" Doric site manager James<br />
Kemps request by moving further<br />
inside and speaking to workers for<br />
several minutes. His remarks follow an<br />
Appeal Court judgment last February<br />
in which Chief Justice Wayne Martin<br />
overturned the same magistrates<br />
ruling in 2007 that McDonald had a<br />
lawful excuse to be on the site and<br />
sent it back to Mr Randazzo for<br />
sentencing. McDonald, who did not<br />
have a right-of-entry permit at the<br />
time, committed trespass when he<br />
failed to leave the site immediately<br />
after being told to leave, exposing him<br />
to a maximum penalty of 12 months<br />
jail or a $12,000 fine.<br />
McDonald said at trial he entered the<br />
site after being unable to contact a<br />
contractor over a pay issue. Outside<br />
court Joe vowed to keep pushing for<br />
workers safety. "If our pursuit on<br />
health and safety on building sites<br />
makes me a criminal, so be it," he<br />
said. "These laws that keep union<br />
officials from going on and doing<br />
something about it will eventually<br />
change and until then we will operate<br />
the way we have to operate and that’s<br />
to keep working-class people alive."<br />
Well said Joe. The Crown sought<br />
costs and was denied!<br />
Construction workers 'rorted' in NT<br />
Rorting of construction workers on<br />
Northern Territory work sites is rife,<br />
the Construction Forestry Mining<br />
and Energy Union says.<br />
The union says almost all Darwin<br />
construction companies are<br />
employing people as<br />
subcontractors instead of direct<br />
employees to avoid paying leave<br />
entitlements and superannuation.<br />
The union's Dave Noonan says the Federal Workplace<br />
Ombudsman has committed to investigate the issue.<br />
“Those employers that are flouting the law had better<br />
have a pretty good look at whether what they're doing is<br />
illegal.”<br />
“Because if they do what they say, there'll be some<br />
employers facing significant back payments and<br />
prosecution I would think.”<br />
The Construction Association's Graeme Kemp says he<br />
has not heard of this issue before.<br />
Any company involved in rorting workers should be<br />
punished, he says.<br />
“We have very good relations with the unions generally<br />
and I certainly have not had any contact from the CFMEU<br />
about this issue,” he said.<br />
“I've spoken to a couple of major construction<br />
companies this morning and they're amazed at the<br />
allegations that were made.”<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 49<br />
CFMEU
W H E R E A R E T H E Y N O W ?<br />
with Angelo Forte<br />
In a class of their own… but where?<br />
This photo was taken back in the black and white days, it shows a very interested group<br />
attending some sort of seminar … do you know who and where? We do know there was a<br />
talk being given by former MP Tony McCrea and by the looks on everyone’s faces it was<br />
about as interesting as watching Grandad cut his toenails. Perhaps you are in the photo?<br />
Let us know by sending any details to the Editor. You can email editor@<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com<br />
UPDATE FROM OUR LAST ISSUE:<br />
STUNNED MULLETS!<br />
Last issue we published a photo of a group of blokes back<br />
in days when mullets and stonewash denim was all the rage.<br />
We are told those in the photo are: from left to right:<br />
Gordon McCarthy, Bill Allen, Philip Leonard, Wayne Lucas,<br />
Terry Daniels, Alex Stojalcovic and Steve Haese.<br />
…AND WHO’S THE BABY?<br />
We asked the question last issue if anyone knew who the<br />
baby was.<br />
It’s Blake Lucas!<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 51<br />
CFMEU
A P P R E N T I C E P R O F I L E<br />
With Angelo Forte<br />
We spoke to Ciaran Rogers an apprentice plumber on site and asked<br />
him to fill in a survey about his life, job, industry and the union.<br />
Name:<br />
Ciaran Rogers<br />
Age:<br />
19<br />
Occupation:<br />
Apprentice plumber<br />
Union member since:<br />
May 2008<br />
Why did you join the<br />
construction industry?<br />
Good benefits<br />
What do you like about the<br />
construction industry?<br />
Working outside<br />
Favourite car?<br />
VL Commodore<br />
Music?<br />
Snoop Dog<br />
Movie?<br />
Heavyweights<br />
Food?<br />
Nachos<br />
What would you like to achieve in the<br />
next 10 years?<br />
Become fully qualified<br />
What was your reason for joining the<br />
Union?<br />
Benefits are good<br />
What appeals to you most about the<br />
union?<br />
Strength and Support, Kevin Reynolds.<br />
What union benefits do you like most?<br />
Free Travel Insurance – saves money!<br />
What worries you most about your<br />
working future?<br />
Possibly being out of a job in the future<br />
West Gate Bridge dispute ends<br />
A 12-week industrial dispute involving workers on the<br />
West Gate Bridge strengthening project ended on May<br />
16. Workers accepted an agreement between the<br />
Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU), the<br />
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) and<br />
construction company John Holland.<br />
Thirty-nine workers were sacked in March after John<br />
Holland refused to honour a collective agreement<br />
between the unions and subcontracting firm Civil<br />
Pacific Services.<br />
Protests by the sacked workers, with community<br />
support, led to a significant delay in the project. It was a bitter struggle but<br />
The settlement includes a standard agreement for one that had to be won.<br />
the mixed metal industry and the reinstatement of<br />
23 sacked workers. The reinstatement of a further nine workers is under review. John Holland also agreed to drop legal<br />
action for damages against the unions, individual workers and protesters.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 53<br />
CFMEU
M E M B E R ’ S M E E T I N G S<br />
with Graham Pallot<br />
CFMEU leads way with member’s meetings<br />
The CFMEU is one of the few unions<br />
that regularly hold member’s<br />
meetings.<br />
State Secretary Kevin Reynolds<br />
says: “We are proud of the fact that<br />
our union is transparent and<br />
accountable to its membership.<br />
There are not many unions around<br />
these days that hold a monthly<br />
members meeting where members<br />
can meet and have a direct say in<br />
the running of their union. It is also<br />
an ideal environment for members<br />
to talk and get an up to date view of<br />
what’s going in their industry.”<br />
Brian Hughes (left)<br />
and Mick Buchan<br />
(below)<br />
Union member Brian Hughes<br />
agrees. “I attend the members<br />
meeting every month. It’s a buzz to<br />
catch up with fellow workers to<br />
compare notes and to hear directly<br />
from the Union leadership about<br />
what is happening out there and<br />
how it affects me as a worker. A<br />
chance to crack a few jokes with<br />
mates, have a cold beer and some<br />
tucker afterwards goes down well<br />
too!”<br />
Long time CFMEU organiser Mick<br />
Buchan says that the workers who<br />
attend the monthly meetings have<br />
an inside running into how things<br />
impact on their industry, their jobs<br />
and future. “The media in this town<br />
doesn’t fairly reflect the work that<br />
this union does; the members get to<br />
hear directly from the Secretary<br />
about things they wouldn’t normally<br />
get to hear about. They appreciate it<br />
and they enjoy the chance to have<br />
their say and to bring up any<br />
issues.” Buchan says.<br />
WHAT USUALLY HAPPENS?<br />
The member’s meetings are held at<br />
the Construction Skills Training<br />
Centre, starting at 5 o’clock and<br />
finishing up at about 6.30 –<br />
members can knock off from work<br />
and head straight there, arriving<br />
from 4pm. There’s a cold beer<br />
available at ‘mates rates’ and plenty<br />
to chat about prior to and after each<br />
meeting.<br />
CFMEU State Secretary, Kevin<br />
Reynolds delivers his monthly report<br />
to members and members have a<br />
chance to raise questions in respect<br />
to the monthly report.<br />
There’s a general business section<br />
where members can put forward<br />
any motions and raise other issues<br />
that may be affecting them or of<br />
concern to other workers.<br />
CFMEU Organisers are also on hand<br />
to help members with any issues.<br />
At the end of the meeting workers<br />
mingle and discuss all types of<br />
issues from site safety, rates of pay,<br />
dodgy employer practices, who’s<br />
hiring and who’s not, new projects<br />
coming on-line etc.<br />
And after a hard days work, there’s<br />
food on offer as well as<br />
refreshments available.<br />
All members are asked to meet monthly on these dates<br />
The monthly members meeting are for current card carrying members<br />
only... new members are welcome to join and be paid up and proud prior<br />
to the commencement of any meeting.<br />
At the Construction Skills Training Centre, 107-109 Radium Street,<br />
Welshpool (Off Welshpool Road). Plenty of convenient parking.<br />
• July 8th • October 14th.<br />
• August 12th • November 11th .<br />
• September 9th. • December 9th (Members end-of-year wind-up)<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 55<br />
CFMEU
O F F T H E S I T E<br />
with Kelly Hawkins<br />
WANT TO JOIN? INDUSTRIES COVERED<br />
Over I.5 million hits<br />
on our website<br />
www.<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com<br />
It’s just 12 months since we<br />
launched our new website, and in<br />
that time we have had over 1.5<br />
million hits! So if you haven’t had<br />
a look yet, join the thousands<br />
who do so every week.<br />
This issue, we are looking at our<br />
section on the website called<br />
‘Industries Covered.’ We get<br />
enquiries from many workers who<br />
are not sure whether or not they can<br />
join our great union. Below is a list of<br />
Industries and job classifications<br />
eligible to join.<br />
One Union has the clout and<br />
strength to take on employers and<br />
defend member’s rights. From<br />
riggers to labourers, scaffy’s,<br />
carpenters, crane drivers and most<br />
other building related trades, the<br />
CFMEU has a professional and<br />
experienced in-house legal<br />
department to defend you. PLUS,<br />
financial members can access our in<br />
house wages and entitlements<br />
recovery service to get back lost<br />
wages and entitlements due to<br />
dodgy employer practices.<br />
In the last 12 months we have got<br />
back over one million dollars into<br />
the pockets of members who lost<br />
their unpaid wages and<br />
entitlements. As a member of the<br />
CFMEU, you get more than just a<br />
ticket, you get the strength, benefits<br />
and support of WA’s preferred<br />
Number One union for trades like<br />
these……<br />
Complete coverage for…<br />
• crane operator<br />
• carpenter<br />
• roof tiler<br />
• wall and ceiling fixer<br />
• plasterer<br />
• ceramic tiler<br />
• stonemason<br />
• bricklayer/paver<br />
• labourer<br />
• painter<br />
• window fixer<br />
• glazier<br />
• sign writer<br />
• winch operator<br />
• boiler attendant<br />
• earthmoving plant operator<br />
• rigger<br />
• scaffolder<br />
• dogman<br />
• concrete pump operator/hose<br />
handler<br />
• forklift operator<br />
• hoist operator<br />
…and more.<br />
NOT SURE?<br />
Ask a CFMEU Union Organiser<br />
(Organiser phone numbers are in the<br />
Union Directory at the front of this<br />
Journal).<br />
Check out www.<strong>cfmeu</strong>wa.com<br />
now it’s one of the best sites you’ll<br />
ever be on.<br />
Check out our CFMEU WA<br />
channel on you tube<br />
Yes! We have our own channel on ‘You Tube’.<br />
Just Google up the ‘You Tube’ home page and type in CFMEUNION in<br />
the search panel. You’ll see various clips of CFMEU activities in WA.<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 57<br />
CFMEU
U N I O N B E N E F I T S<br />
with Rod Reynolds<br />
Understanding the fine print of Income Protection<br />
One of the most popular and important benefits the<br />
Union has been successful in obtaining for our<br />
members is the inclusion of 24 hour Sickness and<br />
Accident Cover into company and subcontractor<br />
EBA’s.<br />
This requires the employer to take out an Income<br />
Protection policy that covers its employees for accidents<br />
and illnesses that may occur outside of work hours, e.g. if<br />
you fall down stairs at home and break your leg or if you<br />
fall ill with some sort of illness and are unable to work then<br />
the policy will cover your wages for the period you are off<br />
work. It does not include cover for medical expenses.<br />
At the moment this cover is only available to members<br />
who work for a company that has Income Protection as<br />
part of their EBA. The Union itself can’t cover all members<br />
as the cost would be too prohibitive.<br />
If you are able to access this benefit by way of being<br />
covered by your employers EBA then there are a number<br />
of things you need to understand about the policies.<br />
First of all, the policies will contain an exclusion period.<br />
What this means is that the policy will not pay you for the<br />
exclusion period at the start of the insurance period of the<br />
accepted claim. This period starts from the date of your first<br />
medical certificate or statement from your Doctor or GP.<br />
The standard exclusion period under our policies is one<br />
week for most claims unless they are sporting related in<br />
which case the exclusion period is 28 days (or 4 weeks).<br />
Some project specific agreements in the Northwest or<br />
Southwest may contain exclusion periods of 14 days.<br />
For this reason it is very important that you get a Medical<br />
Certificate straight away so that you can begin receiving<br />
payments as quickly as possible.<br />
Generally during the exclusion period you can use<br />
accrued Sick Leave, Annual Leave or other accrued<br />
entitlements such as RDO’s to get you through until the<br />
insurance begins paying.<br />
As with all insurance policies, this policy will not cover you<br />
for “pre-existing” or “de-generative” conditions. This is a<br />
very important point and one members need to be aware<br />
of. If you have previously received treatment or advice for<br />
a condition prior to being covered by the policy (which<br />
basically means prior to being employed with your current<br />
employer) and then put in a claim under the policy then<br />
you may not be covered as the condition being claimed<br />
may be classed as a “pre-existing” condition. Also, if you<br />
have a condition that relates to wear and tear over a<br />
period of months or years such as a joint condition or<br />
osteoarthritis or other similar type condition then the<br />
insurance company may knock your claim back on<br />
the grounds that it relates to a “de-generative”<br />
condition.<br />
continued overleaf<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 59<br />
CFMEU
continued from previous page<br />
The standard wording under the Union recommended<br />
policy as provided by Jardine Lloyd Thompson states –<br />
"PRE-EXISTING CONDITION" means any medical<br />
condition, side-effect or symptoms of a condition<br />
which the Insured Person was aware of and for which<br />
the Insured Person has received medical attention,<br />
sought or received treatment, undergone tests or<br />
taken prescribed medication for in the six (6) month<br />
prior to that Insured Person's Effective Date of<br />
Individual Cover under this Insurance. Pre-existing<br />
conditions also include any chronic, congenital or<br />
degenerative conditions diagnosed and known to the<br />
Insured Person at the Effective Date of Individual<br />
Cover under this Insurance, whether currently being<br />
treated or not.<br />
In the case of medical conditions contributed to or<br />
aggravated by such pre-existing conditions the Weekly<br />
Benefit amount and/or the period of disablement will<br />
be decreased by the same proportion which in the<br />
view of an independent qualified medical practitioner<br />
the pre-existing condition contributed to or<br />
aggravated the new condition.<br />
It is important that members understand this as the<br />
Union regularly deals with members who have wrongly<br />
assumed they were entitled to Income Protection “no<br />
matter what”.<br />
Unfortunately that isn’t always the case. The contents of<br />
insurance policies is not something the Union can<br />
control, we can only try to have our members covered as<br />
much as possible.<br />
Having said that it is important that if your claim is<br />
knocked back that you contact me at the Union. Denial<br />
of your claim doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the<br />
story as you do have the right of appeal if you believe<br />
you have been unfairly treated.<br />
Please also be advised that this article does not<br />
constitute financial or legal advice. The Union is simply<br />
alerting you to matters that may affect the outcome of<br />
any claim you make for Income Protection. For proper<br />
advice you should always seek to speak to your<br />
Financial Advisor, Accountant or other such authorized<br />
person. You can contact ASIC on 1300 300 630 for<br />
details of qualified people or companies who can offer<br />
you advice.<br />
A CHEAP FINE FOR ANOTHER DEATH!<br />
MELBOURNE: A CRANE company has been fined $70,000 after a worker was<br />
killed by a falling concrete panel in Melbourne three years ago. Christos Binos,<br />
58, was killed at a worksite at Pakenham, in Melbourne's outer southeast, on<br />
March 8, 2006, when a concrete panel which was being lifted into place fell on<br />
him. Judge Philip Coish said the company, Huntingdale Mobile Cranes, had<br />
breached health and safety laws by failing to check pins were placed in the<br />
concrete panel and securing it before it was lifted into place.<br />
Joe McDonald says: “If bosses were jailed instead of fined, safety would improve<br />
overnight. Another reason why unions need greater access to sites.<br />
TINTO FINED 200,000 RIO’S!<br />
DARWIN: May - A mining giant has been fined almost $200,000 after a worker<br />
slipped and fell into a pool of highly corrosive liquid at a refinery in the Northern<br />
Territory. It is the fifth time since 2006 that the Alcan Gove Refinery in northeast<br />
Arnhem Land has been involved in a serious workplace accident, two of which<br />
were fatal.<br />
Fred Rowe suffered burns to almost 25 per cent of his body last March when<br />
he slipped and fell after a safety walkway was removed for maintenance.<br />
Last week, Rio Tinto Alcan pleaded guilty to breaching the Mining<br />
Management Act.<br />
Rigger<br />
charged with<br />
manslaughter<br />
A Rigger, William Rapetti has been<br />
indicted on charges including<br />
manslaughter and criminally<br />
negligent homicide causing the<br />
death of 7 people in last years<br />
massive tower crane collapse in<br />
New York City.<br />
Manhattan D.A. Robert Morgenthau<br />
argues the accident was caused by<br />
the rigger’s incorrect use of slings to<br />
hold a collar used to climb the<br />
crane. The base on the crane was<br />
also not bolted down.<br />
COULD IT HAPPEN HERE?<br />
Let’s be careful out there!<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 61<br />
CFMEU
I N T E R N AT I O N A L N E W S<br />
with Vinnie Molina<br />
POSTCARD FROM COLOMBIA: A VISIT TO A POLITICAL PRISONER<br />
Happier times: Liliany Obando with Vinnie<br />
Molina during her visit to Perth in 2007<br />
As part of my travels I made a visit<br />
to Colombian ‘Buen Pastor Prison<br />
for Women’ to see trade union<br />
activist and now Political Prisoner<br />
Liliany Obando with a message of<br />
solidarity on behalf of the union.<br />
Liliany is known to many of us<br />
after her tour to Australia in 2007<br />
as a representative of Fensuagro<br />
(Agricultural Sector Union<br />
Federation) to raise awareness of<br />
the struggles of agricultural<br />
workers and the dangers to the<br />
unions representing them.<br />
The day before a prison visit the<br />
visitor must register in person. This<br />
involves standing in line for a good<br />
part of a day. As I queued I saw<br />
relatives and friends trying to deliver<br />
clothing or even mattresses to the<br />
prison. I wondered what their<br />
mothers, wives, friends or<br />
daughters have been sleeping on.<br />
The answer for political prisoners is<br />
most likely the floor in a 2.5m by 2m<br />
cell shared with at least two or three<br />
other women.<br />
87 political prisoners are held in the<br />
“..her five year old<br />
daughter has lost<br />
her ability to cry.”<br />
worst section of prison in an area<br />
called “Patio Six”. Their only crime<br />
was organising for basic rights at<br />
work, work safety, health and<br />
education. Liliany Obando is one of<br />
these union women who are<br />
dedicated to the struggle for Human<br />
and Workers Rights.<br />
Liliany has been held at Buen Pastor<br />
since being detained on the 8th<br />
August 2008. Twenty soldiers<br />
stormed the home she shared with<br />
her two children, aged five and<br />
fourteen. Since then her five year<br />
old daughter has lost her ability to<br />
cry. Repeatedly her constitutional<br />
rights to home detention for heads<br />
of family have been denied. Her<br />
elderly mother has had to take over<br />
the care of the two children who<br />
have been through a terrifying<br />
situation – seeing their mother taken<br />
in such a violent manner, in<br />
complete ignorance of the trauma to<br />
two innocent children.<br />
Visiting the prison is not easy. The<br />
queue of visitors starts to form<br />
around 2am. When I arrived at 7am<br />
I was the 200th person in line. It<br />
makes a difference as the gates<br />
open at 8am and entry is stopped at<br />
12noon. The risk of being there late<br />
is not making it through the gate by<br />
12noon and missing out on a visit<br />
which means waiting another week.<br />
Once inside there are multiple<br />
checkpoints to go through which<br />
takes a couple of hours and visits<br />
end at 3:00pm.<br />
After passing examination by dogs<br />
and interrogations by guards I finally<br />
arrived at Patio Six or as the women<br />
refer to it the “Bermuda triangle”. It<br />
looks like rows of pigeon holes off<br />
balconies. I am amazed at the<br />
stories I hear regarding sentences<br />
for young women of up to 38 years,<br />
stories of children being born there<br />
and then having to be separated<br />
once they are two.<br />
The conditions are hard, each<br />
political prisoner gets a ration of<br />
soap, shampoo and even toilet<br />
paper for a month, there are no<br />
areas for exercise and the lighting<br />
and ventilation are poor.<br />
In comparison para-military<br />
prisoners or prisoners of crimes<br />
have conditions which more closely<br />
resemble prisons in Australia.<br />
Currently there are over 7,000<br />
political prisoners in Colombia and<br />
the attacks and arrests on trade<br />
unionists continue. Liliany Obando<br />
thanks CFMEU members for their<br />
solidarity and sends her greetings.<br />
Please help to free Liliany Obando<br />
and other political prisoners.<br />
Please visit www.freeliliany.net or<br />
write to freeliliany@gmail.com<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Page 63<br />
CFMEU
P E T E ’ S PA G E<br />
with Peta Arnold<br />
Kevin Reynolds hands a cheque on behalf<br />
of CFMEU members to a grateful Steve<br />
Joske WA Executive Director of the Red<br />
Cross.<br />
FINAL BUSHFIRE APPEAL TALLY<br />
In a letter to our State Secretary, Kevin Reynolds from Robert Tickner, Chief<br />
Executive Officer of the Australian Red Cross, he said; “On behalf of the<br />
Australian Red Cross and those affected by the recent devastating Victorian<br />
bushfires, thank you sincerely for your generous donation in the support of the<br />
<strong>2009</strong> Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund.<br />
Our members in WA raised a record amount and should all be extremely proud.<br />
The final tally breakdown was:<br />
CFMEU Union donation: $50,000<br />
Monies collected from the city area: $161,272.45<br />
Country area donations that were sent directly: $232,500<br />
Monies matched by employers: $187,000<br />
Grand Total: $630,772.45<br />
THANKS FOR<br />
GABRIEL BARRY<br />
Our member Gabriel Barry,<br />
a proud Irishman sadly<br />
passed away with a dying<br />
wish to have his ashes<br />
returned to his beloved<br />
Ireland. Gabriel’s’ wife Myra and the<br />
Barry family would like to thank all<br />
those who contributed via a raffle to<br />
raise funds to allow her to take<br />
Gabriel’s ashes back home. A TV was<br />
kindly donated by G&N Conform and<br />
the crew form Tony’ Kelly’s Salta site<br />
on Adelaide terrace, the C-BUS site in<br />
William Street and the AT crew at Rise<br />
Apartment all bought tickets.<br />
Well done guys!<br />
SPOOKY MESSAGE<br />
IN BHP POSTER!<br />
Is it a sign! During the spate of<br />
accidents and deaths on BHP sites<br />
our Organiser Matt Waters took<br />
this ironic picture in the city. Look<br />
closely and reflected out of the<br />
poster on the back of a bus, which<br />
is a warm and fuzzy corporate Ad<br />
for BHP, you will see an<br />
Ambulance! Spooky!<br />
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK<br />
OUT CFMEU WORK GEAR<br />
We have a stack of CFMEU work<br />
wear in stock.<br />
Feel free to<br />
come into the<br />
office and check out<br />
the great range.<br />
TRIVIA ANSWERS FROM OUR<br />
LAST ISSUE...Tonto’s horse was<br />
called Scout. The Teenage Mutant<br />
Ninja Turtles are: Leonardo,<br />
Raphael, Michelangelo & Donatello.<br />
SO, YOU WANT TO JOIN A POLITICAL PARTY?<br />
I was talking to a friend of mine's little girl, and she said she wanted to be Prime<br />
Minister some day. Both of her parents, who vote Labor, were standing there, so<br />
I asked her if you were Prime Minister what would be the first thing you'd do?<br />
She replied, I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people.<br />
Wow – what a worthy goal I told her, but you don't have to wait until you're Prime<br />
Minister to do that. You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull up<br />
the weeds, sweep my patio, and I'll pay you<br />
$50. Then I'll take you over to a place where a<br />
homeless chap hangs out, and you can give<br />
him the $50 to use toward food or a new<br />
house.<br />
She thought that over for a few seconds,<br />
'cause she's only six. And while her Mum<br />
glared at me, she looked me straight in the<br />
eye and asked, why doesn't the homeless<br />
man come over and do the work, and you<br />
can just pay him the $50?<br />
And I replied, welcome to the Liberal Party!<br />
THANKS<br />
FOR MAY DAY<br />
Thanks to everyone who<br />
helped and came along to<br />
May Day this year.<br />
It was great to see so<br />
many old friends and new<br />
faces in the crowd.<br />
Page 64 Construction Worker – <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2009</strong>