Monday, March 03, 2008

MUA divers protest at Desalination Plant





The construction of the Kurnell Desalination Plant faces delays because a contractor is flouting the NSW Government's guidelines on workers rights, the Maritime Union of Australia warned today.

MUA Sydney branch secretary Warren Smith said divers employed by Construction Diving Services walked off the job this morning after a colleague was sacked for raising safety concerns.

The divers, whose work is essential to the project, are also being denied the right to be represented by their union in wage negotiations in breach of official government policy.

Mr Smith called on the NSW Government to intervene and instruct parent company Dempsey Industries to respect its contractors' code or see the desalination project run off the rails.

"The last thing anyone wants to see is a long-running industrial dispute, but this is clearly where things are headed," Mr Smith said.

"The Iemma Government went to the public a year ago as the defenders of workers' rights, now is the time to actually show they are serious and force their contractors to respect their workers' wishes."

Note:
The divers have set up a picket at Molineux Point end of Friendship Road, Port Botany.

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