City held hostage as tradies demand $240k salary

Construction workers connected Brisbane’s Cross River Rail task are walking disconnected the occupation arsenic a large national calls for wage rises which would spot an entry-level operation idiosyncratic gain an eye-watering $240,000 per year.

Construction, Forestry, Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) workers are striking astatine 7 sites crossed the metropolis connected Tuesday pursuing months of negotiations betwixt the national and contractor CPB Contractors for a caller endeavor bargaining statement (EBA).

The erstwhile EBA betwixt CFMEU and CPB Contractors expired astatine the extremity of past year.

Queensland Police are connected the country astatine the 7 sites, including successful Yeerongpilly, Dutton Park and Rocklea, with workers believed to person started gathering from astir 3.45am, The Courier Mail reports.

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Dozens of workers were seen gathering extracurricular the Exhibition Station Cross River Rail tract by 7am, with immoderate holding signs that work “CFMEU present for the blue,” and “never transverse a picket line”, according to the publication.

The protected concern enactment is expected to instrumentality spot implicit the adjacent 4 days, ending midnight connected Friday.

It’s understood CFMEU has demanded immoderate workers person a wage emergence of astir $2,000 a week and an other 20 rostered days disconnected each year.

Sources acquainted with the union’s demands told The Courier Mail that nether the connection for Cross River Rail an entry-level idiosyncratic would person a $15,000 wage increase, seeing them gain implicit $240,000 each year.

It comes aft Transport Minister Mark Bailey revealed a blowout of $960 cardinal past month, with the Cross River Rail present costing $6.3 billion.

News.com.au has contacted CFMEU and Cross River Rail Delivery Authority for comment.

A spokesperson for CPB Contractors told news.com.au it has “regularly met with applicable Union representatives from the AWU (Australian Workers’ Union) and CFMEU to negociate a just and tenable enactment agreement”.

“While these meetings were productive, an statement has not yet been reached betwixt the parties,” they said.

A spokesperson for Cross River Rail Delivery Authority told The Courier Mail: “We promote each parties progressive to proceed to bargain successful bully religion and to scope a resolution, truthful we tin proceed to present this transformational project.”

In February, it was reported CFMEU was adjacent to inking a new workplace agreement with the authorities authorities that would spot its workers fixed “at least” a 5 per cent wage rise.

Under the three-year agreement, basal labourers and postulation controllers would gain much than $2000 per week positive different $260 a week successful question allowance — equating to 23 per cent much than the mean full-time play income of $1838.

Those moving overtime oregon much than 5 days per week would gain overmuch much than the $120,000 a twelvemonth figure, which is for a basal 36-hour week.

At the time, CFMEU brag John Setka told the Herald Sunthat workers were entitled to steadfast wage increases during a cost-of-living crisis. “It could beryllium much than 5 per cent,” helium said.

“Everyone is allowed to summation the outgo of everything but we are not allowed to summation wages — just dinkum? We privation a wage emergence to support up with the outgo of surviving and we are not allowed? We are not going to beryllium the sacrificial lambs.”