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Home » 2007 » #707 » Australian News » Union Solidarity shuts down Woodside site

Sue Bolton, Port Campbell

It was the fifth community protest in as many months after months of industrial unrest following the removal of working conditions and poor management safety practices. Not one of the 500 workers still employed on the construction site crossed the protest line and production was entirely shut down.

A leaflet titled “Port Shambles”, distributed by Union Solidarity, provides an example of management practices at the site. It states:

“After a series of incidents in breach of the OH&S Act, Primaweld employee Zebulun Reid filed a written report to Technip Safety Advisor, L. Cropley.

“These breaches of procedure and laws endangered workers on the site. Technip Construction Manager, John Kint, and Industrial Relations Manager, Colin (Corporal) Milne, were more concerned with production.

“In response to the report, Reid was summoned to a meeting with Kint and others. Reid was requested to change his report by removing Kint’s name. Reid refused to change the report, but agreed to review it. A third party then verbally threatened Reid, his wife and his children, demanding that Reid change his report. Reid refused again, and added an addendum.

“Reid’s employment was terminated on the instruction of Kint.

“Work Safe has not yet acted on behalf of the endangered workers. Since Reid’s termination, a high pressure valve exploded at the site and destroyed nearby scaffolding. This time, no-one was killed.”

About 100 workers from across western Victoria and Melbourne, some of whom were former workers on the site, vowed to keep up the protest against Woodside and their construction managers. Neither Milne nor Kent returned Green Left Weekly’s request for their comment.

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