The Building Trade Group of Unions (BTG) is uniting on a number of major issues including the ABCC and Ark Tribe, Safety Harmonisation, Award Modernisation, and Queensland Workers Compensation changes. These issues affect all of us and the only way to have any success is to have a united front. There will be several joint site meetings and mass rallies to ensure everyone has correct and updated information.

The 28^th of April is National Day of Mourning and we will be unveiling a memorial at Roma Street Forum dedicated to all workers who have lost their life at work. On average we lose a worker at least once a week. This is way too high. Safety should never be swept under the rug or put second to anything else. The Ark Tribe case is an example of safety being put second. After standing up for safety, he now faces six months in jail after refusing to attend an ABCC interrogation. Ark will be coming to Queensland on the 18^th of May to address a joint BTG, union organiser and delegate meeting. We look forward to getting the update from him first hand on his pending court case on 15^th, 16^th, and 18th of June.

Safety Harmonisation and Award Modernisation would be a good thing if you took the best of each state and worked on the basis no one would be worse off. But that would be too simple. The Government are just like employers, and always go for the lowest standard. For example, in South Australia there is no right of entry under their Safety Act. Unlike Queensland, they have to give 24 hour notice to get on site, where we have immediate entry under the Workplace Health and Safety Act.

The Award Modernisation is another battle ground, where the MBA has sought application to vary the following provisions of the modern Award, payment whilst on leave, apprentices, hourly rate calculation, presenting for work but not required, dispute resolution training, leave, safety boot reimbursement, fares and travel, and limitation of inclement weather. For more information go to our website.

Around 1994, the Goss Government tried to overhaul Work Cover and suffered severe backlash from workers. Queensland history seems to be repeating itself where the Bligh Government wants to make changes to common law and weekly benefits, because Work Cover is running out of funds. We are pushing for an increase in employer premiums by way of a levy for our industry much the same as the way QLeave works. This would have a better compliance standard for our industry as it has been proven many times before that subbies don’t always pay.

All these issues come back to the ABCC, injuries, deaths, and poor safety standards on site. It was Ark Tribe who stood up for better safety, not the builder, they only called the ABCC. And Ark is the one facing time in prison. Bad laws are meant to be broken and we will continue to break them in the interests of having a safer place to work.