Union fears for solar farm jobs
RCR Tomlinson halts trade of shares
A CONSTRUCTION company’s announcement of its second trading halt in three months has stoked union fears of job losses at the company’s Darling Downs solar farm project, and others around the state.
ETU QLD NT state secretary Peter Ong said ETU officials had been visiting RCR Tomlinson’s five Queensland sites, including APA Group’s Darling Downs Solar Farm, to talk to workers who fear the worst.
“They have heard reports about what occurred in Victoria where more than 100 workers were sacked with an hour’s notice on an RCR site near Mildura late last month with many still awaiting outstanding payments,” Mr Ong said.
“The workers rightly want commitments from the developers that they won’t face the same fate; they demand that they continue being paid wages and entitlements while the viability of RCR is decided.”
“The turmoil in RCR is not limited to workers entitlements, there are also grave concerns for sub-contractors as well if the Mildura experience is anything to go by, in that scenario the local contractor has issued a stop to work until RCR’s future is decided.”
Mr Ong reiterated his earlier concerns that the State Government had not adequately overseen the solar industry. “This latest outrageous private failure shows why the State Government needs to own, construct and manage our electricity generation assets,” he said.