CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar, weighs into the debate concerning Watpac’s demise and the impact it is having on Townville’s new sports stadium.
Construction giant Watpac has proven itself unfit to continue as lead contractor of the $300 million Townsville stadium project, and must be removed, the CFMEU said.
CFMEU state secretary Michael Ravbar said the patience and goodwill of workers and subcontractors on the project had been exhausted, and the government must intervene immediately to put an end to Watpac’s lies, intimidation and stand-over tactics.
“What you have is a company that is so desperate to recoup losses it has racked up elsewhere, that it is prepared to mislead and underpay everyone involved in the project and then put its hand out for even more money,” Ravbar said.
“This is nothing short of a taxpayer funded extortion racket, where subcontractors have been threatened and intimidated to cut corners and costs, and you basically end up with wage theft by stealth.”
Ravbar stressed that the stadium project, if managed properly, was one that should provide good wages and conditions for workers, at the same time as leaving a lasting legacy through local procurement policies and requirements to train the next generation of skilled construction workers in north Queensland.
“Contractors have been tendering for work blind, not even knowing the legal requirements attached to work being bid for, because Watpac – an arm of Belgian multinational BESIX – has kept them in the dark and fed everyone bullshit,” Ravbar added.
“And we have allegation that contractors are being asked to quote using the workplace agreement conditions, and then told to pay workers under another, lesser, arrangement.
“The government have been hoodwinked by a lowball tender and are now on the hook for even more money, taxpayers’ money which should be going to Townsville, not Brussels.
“This is the sort of corporate thuggery that should not be rewarded through massive government contracts, where, over the course of three different ministers and various bureaucrats, there would appear to have been little oversight and even less due diligence.”
According to Ravbar, the only way to resolve the Townsville stadium dispute is to remove Watpac as lead building contractor.
“Watpac offer all the excuses under the sun, but the bottom line is they have never delivered on best practice pay and conditions as required by the state government’s Buy Queensland procurement policy,” Ravbar continued.
“Watpac have had months to get their house in order, and to ensure that subcontractors comply with contract conditions for what is an economy-changing legacy project for the Townsville region.
“They have failed, and then try to blame their own serial mismanagement on workers who are increasingly frustrated at being in caught in the middle.
“As of this morning inspectors from the federal government’s industry attack dog, the Australian Building and Construction Commission, have been on site monstering workers whose only crime is to stand up for themselves.
“If the ABCC wants to demonstrate it is anything more than a political hit squad for hire operating at the beck and call of big business, then its inspectors would be better served auditing the books of Watpac and its contractors with a focus on instances of sham contracting and underpayment.”
Ravbar said the Townsville stadium project was a case study in poor oversight, having been the responsibility of no less than three different ministers and numerous senior bureaucrats since its inception.
“The union and the workers want to get this fixed, but we are dealing with a company that won’t even sit down and talk with its workforce, and feeds its contractors, the government – and the Queensland taxpayer – a diet of lies and half-truths,” Ravbar said.
“Enough is enough. If the government wants this project delivered on time and on budget, with properly paid and safe jobs, apprentice training and local procurement, the solution is simple, and it does not involve Watpac.”