Electrical Trades Union refutes Deputy Premier’s lies
The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) refutes lies from LNP Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie at press conference Friday 14 November.
At a press conference on Friday, and published on multiple platforms including the Channel 7 nightly news, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie made claims that former CFMEU leaders Michael Ravbar and Jade Ingham have been employed by the ETU.
“This is a complete lie from the Deputy Premier,” says ETU State Secretary Peter Ong. “It’s a complete and utter disgrace that he thinks he can make up whatever lies he wants and announce them to the public and the media. Is this Trump-style of politics what we’re going to see in the Jarrod Bleijie-David Crisafulli government?
“Not only is this defamatory against ETU, but also myself as the State Secretary, accusing us of breaching legislation that bans former CFMEU officials from employment with any union. We are seeking legal advice on this matter.
“These are comments of a man who doesn’t think he needs to be held accountable, yet he’s second in charge of the state government, and in public office. He’s in the job only because Queenslanders voted for him,” says Mr Ong.
This comment from the Deputy Premier were not the only untruths from his press conference. He also misled the public about heat stress policies in the construction industry, claiming workers can go home if it’s forecast to hit 29 degrees with 75% humidity.
The heat policy in reality applies to the actual temperature and humidity in the location work is taking place, with the first port of call to be relocating workers to a cooler area. Under the heat policy, workers will only leave site if there is nowhere available that meets the temperature requirements to ensure health and safety.
“The Deputy Premier doesn’t have a grasp on the construction industry in this state. His comments clearly show he either doesn’t understand policies or doesn’t care about the facts and is more interested in sensationalising and lying to the Queensland public to score political points,” says Mr Ong. “The LNP is starting off on the wrong foot if not three weeks into being elected, they are in the media making up complete lies.
“Coming into what looks to be a very hot summer, one of our main focuses is on keeping construction workers safe from heat stress. Last December we saw the tragic death of a 29-year-old construction worker in Brisbane. The LNP should be ensuring we don’t lose another Queensland worker to heat stress, rather than making baseless and fabricated comments about unions that are doing that work,” says Mr Ong.
For more information, call Peter Ong on 0419 721 046 or Kristin Perissinotto on 0448 633 858