UNION TO TATE: WE’RE NOT DONE YET
AUSTRALIA’S most powerful union has vowed to continue its pressure on Mayor Tom Tate after 150 workers yesterday blasted him during a $1.4 billion project site tour.
Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union official Andrew Sutherland said: “He has questions to answer. When an opportunity presents itself, our members will choose to exercise their right to protest”.
Union officials said workers were opposed to the Mayor’s offshore cruise ship terminal proposal, council’s sell-off of Bruce Bishop car park and the plan to fill in Black Swan Lake.
Cr Tate, who said many workers supported him, shrugged off the chanting: “You’re going to get some wins and some ‘no’ from some crowds. So what you do is do your best for the city, stand up and smile like hell”.
In other developments into the elections donations saga:
● Deputy Mayor Donna Games told critics, who include Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, to put up or shut up with any evidence showing she has acted unlawfully.
● Council said it would not yet release the full feasibility study into the proposed cruise ship terminal at The Spit due to confidential financial matters.
● A city councillor called for an end to the bloodletting.
CONSTRUCTION union bosses are warning Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate to expect more blasts like yesterday’s fiery Surfers Paradise mob.
The Mayor shrugged off the chanting of 150 workers during a tour of the $1.4 billion Ruby Collection highrise project, saying “you’re going to get some wins and some ‘no’ from some crowds. So what you do is do your best for the city, stand up and smile like hell.”
Cr Tate said many workers supported him and unionbacked candidates were trying to “infiltrate” his council.
Critics of the protest pointed out the irony of highrise construction workers opposing the pro-development Mayor.
But Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union’s (CFMEU) Gold Coast official Scott Vink and Queensland assistant secretary Andrew Sutherland said expect more protests targeting the Mayor.
“It’s certainly not a strategy but when the opportunity comes up we will certainly be making our voice heard,” Mr Sutherland said.
“He has questions to answer and has to be accountable. When an opportunity presents itself like it did today, our members will choose to exercise their right to protest.
“If he turns up at construction sites where our members work it will happen again.”
Mr Vink, who led the antimayoral chanting at Ruby with workers sacrificing their smoko, said site work was not disrupted.
Mr Vink said the workers weren’t just union members but ratepayers too and frustrated about the Mayor’s offshore cruise ship terminal proposal, council’s sell-off of Bruce Bishop car park in Surfers Paradise and the plan to fill in Black Swan Lake for the turf club’s expansion.
“If he thinks today was water off a duck’s back, well there isn’t going to be any water off any ducks backs if he wants to fill in the lakes they swim in,” Mr Vink said.
WHEN AN OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF LIKE IT DID TODAY, OUR MEMBERS WILL CHOOSE TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO PROTEST CFMEU ASSISTANT SECRETARY YOU’RE GOING TO GET SOME WINS AND SOME ‘NO’ FROM SOME CROWDS. SO WHAT YOU DO IS DO YOUR BEST FOR THE CITY, STAND UP AND SMILE LIKE HELL TOM TATE REACTS TO WORKER OPPOSITION
“I didn’t see any workers saying ‘good on you Tom’ as he claimed so he’s been reading funny story books.
“A substantial amount of people are for pro-development but they’re pro development in the right places. There is plenty of development on the Coast but Tom Tate should be concentrating on better infrastructure to go with it, better plans to handle it because this city is congested.”