GEELONG — Answering a call from the Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union for shop stewards to fly banners of peace on construction sites, members have found that even a peace symbol needs to be defended.

On February 17, workers arrived at their construction site, part of Kerry Packer’s Crown Casino in Melbourne, to find that someone had removed the peace banner from the building’s scaffolding. A stop-work meeting was immediately held, causing Crown management to apologise and return the banner. Crown denied that Packer knew about the matter and blamed the security guards for removing the banner without approval

Meanwhile, in Geelong, construction workers unveiled their new banner in solidarity with the peace movement. The banner was donated by Torquay members of Architects Against War.

Plumbers’ shop steward Bob Devries, told Green Left Weekly: “All the members on this job are opposed to war, we want peace in the world and on our job, Howard doesn’t speak for us”.

From Green Left Weekly, February 26, 2003.
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