CFMEU Press Release 17/3/10

Julia Gillard’s support of restricted union entry is hypocritical and hyperbolic. The very industry she maligns, the Victorian building and construction industry, is one of the most productive and most profitable in the country.

 State Secretary Bill Oliver said that in light of Gillard’s recent media release praising Probuild Constructions Pty Ltd as the national winner of the 2009-10 National Work-life balance awards; her statement against the Victorian building industry was out of touch.

 “Gillard’s statement and isolation of WA and Victoria in particular undermines the fact that unions and employers work together to create workplaces that are both productive and safe,” said Mr Oliver.

 “Probuild is a company that has been lauded for work-life balance initiatives, but these initiatives and practices have been formed in response to and work with the CFMEU and other unions.

 “We reject Gillard’s tenuous connection that right of entry provisions were in place to ‘deal with’ unions. Right of entry should always be about safety and employers prepared to allow access to ensure that their workers do not suffer injury or worse - fatality.

 “On average in the Australian construction industry, one worker dies on the job each week. This is a terrible fact that the CFMEU does not forget in its approach to safety checks on building sites.

 “Julia Gillard and employers should think about the families and coworkers and communities that suffer when a worker dies on the job, and reconsider their push to restrict right of entry, at the end of the day – you are restricting OH&S and training on the job.

  “The CFMEU has a strong stance on safety, we make no apologies for that, but we also represent workers who can deliver productive, well-built projects on a consistent basis – the two are not mutually exclusive,” said Mr Oliver.