Union sued over suicide prevention meeting
The new Royal Adelaide Hospital is taking shape with the first of 85,000 trees and shrubs planted today
But just 50 metres away the Construction, Forestry Mining and Energy Union has met with concerned workers to discuss mental health.
The CFMEU is being sued at taxpayer’s expense over an incident at the adjacent South Australia Health Medical Research Institute building two years ago.
Fair Work Building and Construction, the federal building regulator, claims the union entered the site in November 2013 without authority to address members about a worker’s self harm.
But the CFMEU argues it had safety permits to arrive without notice.
“The union had to come on site over suicide intervention because workers on the site said one of their mates was in trouble,” CFMEU South Australian state secretary Dave Kirner said.
Three hundred and eleven requests for help have been made over the past two-and-a-half years.
“All these sites have tight schedules, tight deadlines … the pressure’s on these guys,” Mr Kirner said.
The case is listed for a five-day hearing in the Federal Court in September.
With the new hospital’s deadline under enormous pressure, the union fears mental health problems at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital building site will only get worse.
Health minister Jack Snelling on Wednesday said the hospital handover was still scheduled for next April but could not rule out costly delays which could create further stress for workers.
“We certainly expect them not to put undue pressure on workers and have a safe workplace,” Mr Snelling said.
“That’s our number one priority.”
The CFMEU is now launching a last minute campaign to convince cross bench senators to vote against a new bill which would re-introduce the Australian Building and Construction Commission, a move it argues would make work sites less safe for employees.
Senators Jacqui Lambie, John Madigan and Ricky Muir have already signaled their intention to join Labor and the Greens in voting against the ABCC Bill.
The federal government has indicated the bill would be put to a vote within the next two weeks.
News break - May 6
