Post by smartip on Jul 6, 2006 12:24:00 GMT -5
Is this for Real?
THE military precision with which 107 writs were served on West Australian construction workers across Perth late at night stunned their powerful union.
The Australian Building and Construction Commission hand-delivered the writs - seeking up to $28,600 in fines - to workers who in March defied a total strike ban imposed by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission the previous December.
That 12-day strike also defied a union directive to return to work after the sacking of their shop steward, Peter Ballard, of the troubled $1.6 billion project to build a rail line between Perth and the sea change town of Mandurah about 100km to the south.
The project has been plagued by delays, and contractor Leighton-Kumagai is claiming cost overruns of $200 million. It is now believed to be five months behind schedule.
Mr Ballard was known on site as "The Pope" because he secured heavenly working conditions, but the union claims he was sacked after complaining about occupational health and safety issues.
He accepted a confidential out-of-court settlement, which he donated to charity. The workers, among 403 who took strike action, are the first in the nation to face hefty individual fines under new industrial laws.
CFMEU state secretary Kevin Reynolds yesterday compared the targeting of his members to Hitler's pre-war Germany.
Mr Reynolds said the Howard Government would not rest until it had destroyed all trade unions.
He claimed the rail project was an unhappy one because of the employers' mismanagement.
He would not condemn the workers for striking, nor would he promise to pay their fines.
"We'll stand with the workers to represent them to give them whatever support we can over this," he said. "If (the Howard Government) is successful in destroying the trade union movement in the building industry, they're going to move into other industries undoubtedly."
Workers approached by The Australian refused to discuss their fines for fear of losing their jobs. The family of one 22-year-old labourer was surprised and upset when he received his summons at about 7.30pm, according to his grandmother.
"We are very worried for him because he can't afford it," she said. "He wasn't going to strike but then he got called names."
Acting West Australian Premier Eric Ripper said the Labor state Government did not support the original strike, but disagreed with individual fines.
"The reality is that many of these workers now face the very real possibility of losing their family homes," he said. "We can not let Australia become a society where workers risk losing their homes for having a dispute with their boss."
THE military precision with which 107 writs were served on West Australian construction workers across Perth late at night stunned their powerful union.
The Australian Building and Construction Commission hand-delivered the writs - seeking up to $28,600 in fines - to workers who in March defied a total strike ban imposed by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission the previous December.
That 12-day strike also defied a union directive to return to work after the sacking of their shop steward, Peter Ballard, of the troubled $1.6 billion project to build a rail line between Perth and the sea change town of Mandurah about 100km to the south.
The project has been plagued by delays, and contractor Leighton-Kumagai is claiming cost overruns of $200 million. It is now believed to be five months behind schedule.
Mr Ballard was known on site as "The Pope" because he secured heavenly working conditions, but the union claims he was sacked after complaining about occupational health and safety issues.
He accepted a confidential out-of-court settlement, which he donated to charity. The workers, among 403 who took strike action, are the first in the nation to face hefty individual fines under new industrial laws.
CFMEU state secretary Kevin Reynolds yesterday compared the targeting of his members to Hitler's pre-war Germany.
Mr Reynolds said the Howard Government would not rest until it had destroyed all trade unions.
He claimed the rail project was an unhappy one because of the employers' mismanagement.
He would not condemn the workers for striking, nor would he promise to pay their fines.
"We'll stand with the workers to represent them to give them whatever support we can over this," he said. "If (the Howard Government) is successful in destroying the trade union movement in the building industry, they're going to move into other industries undoubtedly."
Workers approached by The Australian refused to discuss their fines for fear of losing their jobs. The family of one 22-year-old labourer was surprised and upset when he received his summons at about 7.30pm, according to his grandmother.
"We are very worried for him because he can't afford it," she said. "He wasn't going to strike but then he got called names."
Acting West Australian Premier Eric Ripper said the Labor state Government did not support the original strike, but disagreed with individual fines.
"The reality is that many of these workers now face the very real possibility of losing their family homes," he said. "We can not let Australia become a society where workers risk losing their homes for having a dispute with their boss."