Construction bosses renege on agreements

Construction bosses renege on agreements

By Michael Bull

MELBOURNE — A mass meeting of all CFMEU construction workers on May 20 discussed the Master Builders' Association's (MBA) reneging on a deal struck between unions and employers more than eight months ago.

The Victorian Building Industry Agreement, which was meant to contain new provisions for a portable sick leave scheme and an industry training levy, was altered when the federal government intervened. After tabling the agreement in the summer session of parliament, the government pressured the MBA to renege on it.

CFMEU secretary Martin Kingham told the meeting of 2500 workers, "If the MBA allowed the agreement to go through, they would be sent to Coventry by the government, meaning there would be no lobbying, no funding and no further consultation".

Sources say that any builder who agrees to pay into the portable sick leave scheme will no longer be eligible to compete for government contracts.

Kingham said that the portable sick leave agreement would cost employers only$1.40 a week per employee. The real motive was to test the strength of the union with a new round of enterprise bargaining agreements due to be negotiated later this year.

The meeting passed a resolution condemning the stance taken by the MBA and agreed to an immediate industrial campaign on all commercial building sites.

Meanwhile, the Master Painters' Association has agreed to the demands of the union, as a result of the threat of industrial action.

From GLW issue 276