Ten years since Queensland Children’s Hospital dispute

Pages from a militant life: Ten years since the QCH dispute

October 3 marks ten years since the dispute at the construction site for the Queensland Children’s Hospital was settled, except for the criminal contempt charges I was facing.

The dispute lasted for 63 days and I proudly led it for the final 45 days after the organisers of the Construction and General Division of the CFMEU union were served injunctions which made their continued presence on the picket line difficulty to maintain.

I was approached by CFMEU organisers and officials to take charge of the picket line. After meetings with CFMEU hierarchy I agreed to do it as a “community organiser”, on an “honorary” basis.

My role was endorsed by a general meeting of striking members. The dispute was in a shambles and drastically needed to be re-organised.

The first thing put into place was regular weekly report-back meetings at the Serbian Community Hall, about 150 metres from the construction zone for the hospital. Numerous listening devices had been found where we had previously held meetings, and on top of that the builder, Lend Lease, had hired an industrial surveillance company to tape our every moment.

The second thing was to elect a welfare committee, in which one of the site “peggies”, Virginia Clarke, played a really outstanding part. The third thing was regular strike bulletins.

Once the picket line had been made more democratic, and strike pay ($100 a day for each day on the picket line, a maximum of $600 per week) had been instituted, we got into the long slog of staying one day longer and one day stronger than Lend Lease (Abi Group).

We gained the support of other unions and community groups, and I’m proud to say no worker from the 650 in dispute crossed the picket line.

The electricians, about 55 workers, were especially principled. Although they were on a completely separate Enterprise Bargaining Agreement, they held the line for 63 days. It was one of the finest acts of union solidarity I have witnessed, and completely flouted Australia’s industrial-relations law. Each day the electricians were instructed to go to work, but each day they refused. Their staunchness should go down in the union history book.

On the 63rd day, we got word that Lend Lease (Abi) had relented on the central issues of a union EBA for the whole site with a clause covering subcontractors, we had a meeting to agree to return to work. I spoke in favour of a return to work, although I had a massive court trial pending that Abi would not relent on. It was important we go back to work united.

My work as a community leader had finished. My later trial on 54 charges of criminal contempt is in some regards another story.

For those nine weeks, we fought the good fight, for immediate gain but also for those who come after us. In the end that is what being a union soul is all about.

Bob Carnegie
4 October 2022