Work conditions not in the `Olympic spirit'

BY ALANA KERR

SYDNEY -- Construction work at Olympics venues across the city has been disrupted by the discovery that 24 New Zealand workers were employed on inferior conditions to their Australian workmates.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) halted work at the Bankstown velodrome, the hockey and archery venues at Homebush and the Regatta Centre in Penrith on June 30 after it found out that NZ firm Town and Country Marquees, a contractor retained by the Olympics Coordination Authority, was paying its workers half the correct wage.

The workers, employed to put in seating and covers, were being paid in NZ currency at a flat rate of A$14 (NZ$18.20) per hour. Their Australian co-workers are being paid $35 per hour (including overtime). The NZ workers also received no sick pay, holiday pay or workers' compensation. The NZ workers have since joined the CFMEU.

The union also briefly stopped work at the Bondi volleyball stadium to protest against safety conditions after material from seating platforms was blown around by high winds. The builders claimed the hazard occurred because of a lack of parts needed to lock the seats onto the platform. Work has since resumed, even though the necessary parts have not yet arrived.

CFMEU state secretary Andrew Ferguson denied rumours that the unions have agreed with the government to limit industrial action on Olympic sites. The safety of workers and of the public would always come first, he said.

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