QN workers fear it’s too late

FORMER Queensland Ni Nickelk l workers are hoping it is not too late to get answers about the management of the Yabulu refinery after a second warrant was issued for the arrest of Clive Mensink ( pictured).

This week a Brisbane Federal Court judge issued another warrant for the former QN director, with the potential he could be extradited to Australia if he is found.

Lawyers for Mr Mensink also told the court they had reached out to him multiple times in March but had not heard back about where he was.

For sacked workers like Shaun Bramwell, the development is just another delay in a year- long wait for answers over the company’s collapse.

“I think he’s done all the extradition countries in his world tour so who knows where he is now,” Mr Bramwell said.

“I reckon they should send the special forces to go and capture him and drop him off at the front of the courthouse. It feels like they won’t see him otherwise. It feels like they may have waited too long and probably should have got to him sooner.”

Mr Bramwell said it was difficult seeing the drama unfold in the headlines but for the most part workers were trying to get on with their lives.

“It’s upsetting but I guess the real question is how the situation was allowed to develop in the first place,” he said. “A private company that is that size should have to report their operations more often.”

Justice John Dowsett has also ordered self- proclaimed billionaire Clive Palmer to front court and answer questions over his nephew’s location.

Australian Workers’ Union state secretary Ben Swan, who represented many of the workers who were retrenched last year, said the actions of Mr Palmer and Mr Mensink could speak for themselves.

“People can come to their own judgment over the character of these people,” he said. “The way they have been treating this process from the beginning says everything.”

But for former workers like Shane McRoberts, who moved to Sydney after the collapse of QN, the time has come to move on from the drama.

“I’m one of the of the lucky fellows who have landed on my feet so I’m happy to put the whole thing to bed,” he said. “I missed out on a certain amount of entitlement so I suppose the silver lining of all this would be workers getting everything they worked for.’’