The leader of the Legalise Cannabis Party WA, Dr Brian Walker, has called upon the state government to launch an immediate inquiry into the contracts being issued in support of Metronet.
After Fengwen Geng was hit by a car and killed while laying down in a park on the Bayswater rail project on March 14, the CFMEU claimed he was just one example in a growing trend of foreign worker exploitation on state government projects.
Shadow Industrial Relations Minister Steve Thomas joined Dr Walker in calling for an inquiry to uncover the depth of “sham contractors” employed on Metronet projects.
“I have been concerned for months now,” Dr Walker said.
“My numerous questions in parliament around the reliance upon a concrete contractor that is operating in Cardup, abutting private homes, with no valid permits under local law, already had me worried, and the government’s attempts to dodge responsibility by claiming they have no direct responsibility for the contracts issued on a day-to-day basis for Metronet did nothing to allay my fears, or those of my constituents.
“Now we’ve seen the tragic death of a railway worker in Bayswater, who by all accounts was a ‘sham contractor,’ entitled to no sick leave, no superannuation, and no holiday pay.
“It’s a disgraceful state of affairs, made worse by the fact that it’s happening under a Labor government that should have the rights of workers as one of its key concerns.
“This is corporate greed being given precedence over public safety, and it cannot be allowed to continue.”
