The Guardian 15 March, 2006
Right royal row
A US transnational using the Sydney Opera House as a backdrop to stand over its workforce has found itself in the middle of a right royal row, with workers last week determined to take their case directly to Queen Elizabeth when she visited the iconic building last Monday.
Maintenance contractor United Services Group stands accused of intimidating workers to force them onto individual non-union contracts as well as blacklisting other workers because of previous injuries and union activism.
"We are not going to let this company stand over us and force us to sign away our basic rights at work or face the sack", said John Madureir, one of the Opera House workers who has been blackballed by United Services Group for his union activism.
Mr Madureir and his fellow workers planned to take their case directly to the monarch when she attended a major media event set down for the Opera House on Monday.
"We are demanding justice and we will keep fighting until we get justice", said John Madureir. "Companies should not have the right to sack injured workers or to say to other workers that they must sign away several hundred dollars a week or look elsewhere for work.
"We are protesting to let the Queen know that the Australia she last visited, where workers had proper rights and protections, is under attack and that working people in Australia want her support as they battle for fairness in the workplace."
"It’s very disappointing that the State Government’s own Trust has breached procurement guidelines", said Andrew Ferguson from the state Construction Division of the CFMEU, who lashed out at the anti-union practices of United Services Group.
"This isn’t just about 13 workers; this is about a multinational company with thousands of workers being looked after by their mates in Canberra."