Battle for Burrup heats up

THE battle for control of the workers on development works at the Burrup Peninsular in WA’s North West is heating up.

Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union assistant secretary Joe McDonald this week said more than 400 workers had downed tools in response to the union’s request for right of entry to the LNG Train 4 construction site.

“What some of the other unions did up here was quite treacherous,” he said.

“They are paying the price for doing a sub standard agreement behind closed doors.”

However, a Woodside spokesman said only 250 workers who were due to work had not shown up.

“Their non-appearance appears to be at the behest of the CFMEU,” he said.

Last week Mr McDonald was removed from the site by police.

The Australian Workers Union, the Australian Metal Workers Union and the Communications, Electrical and Plumbers Union have coverage over workers on the site through a site agreement.

The CFMEU has made several attempts to gain some coverage over workers on civil construction sites in the past few years, including the Worsley Alumina expansion, the Anaconda Nickel project at Murrin Murrin and the Woodman Point water treatment works

There are fears union action on the site could lead to costly delays to the $1.6 billion development works planned for the Burrup.

It is understood the CFMEU has not been involved with any of the redevelopments to occur at Woodside’s North West Shelf sites since the early 1990s.