Unions may be brought to heel

THE decision by Perth rail workers to strike illegally earlier this year could cost them and their militant union $11.4 million in fines, not including court costs. Good! In April this year I drove past the Perth Mandurah rail link project with interest. The people of WA, particularly those who live south and commute (my sister and BIL included) are looking forward to this communication link upgrade. It will impact heavily on the metropolis of Greater Perth and will bring additional commerce and dormitory suburbs with all it’s associated infrastructure to the southern extremities of the city. All is good except the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) sees the project as more of a milking cow rather than one of great benefit to the state. The project is reportedly five months behind schedule and $200m above budget. The wildcat strike has been costed at $14m and it’s the ratepayers who are already paying for the miltant unions excesses yet the CFMEU WA secretary, Dave Robinson, said yesterday that churches would be invited to contribute to a “community and union defence fund”. Up yours, Dave. You and your members incurred the likely costs, not the community and certainly not the poor WA taxpayers. The West Australian has more; The legal action stems from the workers’ 12-day strike, which contractor Leighton Kumagai said cost it $200,000 a day.

The Mandurah railway has at times been paralysed by industrial action, which is partly to blame for the project now running five months behind schedule and forms part of the $200 million in cost overrun claims from Leighton Kumagai against the State Government. Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union secretary Kevin Reynolds warned in June last year that the project would be targeted by unions because some contracts had been awarded to a non-unionised firm. The project has also been hit by “blue-flu�?, the name given to periods when workers take mass sickies.

It’s this type of union militancy that gets punters offside and Kim Beasley will get few points by siding with the CFMEU hardliners on this one.