By Bella Fitzpatrick
The Avertas Energy waste-to-energy plant being built by Acciona in Kwinana is becoming a prime example of what happens when we sell out our infrastructure projects to profit-driven multinationals.
The project cost and length are already starting to blow out and Acciona have announced they want to change the hours of their workforce, to make them less family friendly. They’re telling workers they have to work longer hours for basically the same money.
This is clearly an attempt to stick their grubby hands into the back pocket of workers to recover their own losses.
Glenn McLaren for AMWU was scathing of this all too familiar tactic when companies face financial problems of their own making.
“These blow outs in project cost and length are purely down to the mismanagement of Acciona. And yet they have the gall to try and pass these costs on to West Australian workers and their families.” Mr McLaren said.
Peter Joshua from the CFMEU said he was tired of big multinationals coming to Western Australia to take the profits but make workers pay the price.
“It’s digusting that our infrastructure projects keep getting handed to these multinational companies who underquote and then rip their profits out of workers back pockets to satisfy their investors” Mr Joshua said. “It has to stop.”