Union pushes for weekly barbecues and safety stoppages at Brisbane rail site
At a Queensland inquiry, site manager Justin Bishop said the contractor could not afford weekly barbecues for 400-600 workers and described a stop-work over a three-millimetre puddle.
In a hearing of the Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU, site manager Justin Bishop testified about confrontations with union representatives on the Cross River Rail Project in Brisbane. He said CFMEU delegate Richie Atutolu demanded that the contractor provide barbecues every Friday for the entire workforce, a request Bishop rejected on budget grounds, noting the workforce numbers ranged from 400 to 600. The dispute escalated when Atutolu threatened a worker and was subsequently dismissed as the union-appointed safety representative.
Bishop also recounted a stop-work order triggered by a three-millimetre puddle, which forced 350-400 workers to remain in a shed over a safety concern. He further described a November incident where union officials arrived at 3 a.m. to halt a 400-tonne canopy lift, demanding document reviews and entering an exclusion zone, prompting Bishop to call police who never responded. The inquiry expects up to 30 witnesses in its October session.
Why it matters
The testimony highlights costly labor disputes and safety challenges that could delay a major infrastructure project.
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