Safety reps at Cross River Rail building sites in spotlight
A CFMEU delegation allegedly threw a microwave oven into a break room at the major rail tunnel project in Brisbane; but there were other incidents captured by a human resources investigation that recommended the dismissal of two union representatives at the Cross River Rail site.
Richie Atutolu, who allegedly threw the device and is famous for his bad behavior, was hired by the contractor CPB in August 2023, according to Nicole Watson, senior human resources specialist at Ghella, the company that signed the contract on the railway project.
He told the commission of inquiry examining the CFMEU that apart from the microwave incident that stood out in its investigation, there were two other concerns about Atutolu.
One of these involved the man threatening to fight with a worker on the construction site, saying words to the effect of “Yeah, you want to shut up, get out the front and let’s go” before charging towards the front of the construction site and eventually cooling off.
Another incident involved verbal threats and swearing.
A second investigation involved another safety representative, Adam Langford, at the Cross River Rail site in Boggo Road, who in November 2024 prevented a crane company from arriving on site to complete pre-planned work.
Watson said he was surprised by Langford’s response when he called him to tell him the decision would be made in the new year.
“Oh Nicole, I’m surprised they brought me into this, I’ve done much worse than that,” Watson recalled Langford saying.
Both Atutulo and Langford were removed from the project upon Watson’s recommendation.
Watson said he began receiving complaints about union behavior at Boggo Road’s North Portal in August 2023, where a man was seriously injured after falling from scaffolding.
He recalled that during the investigation, workers contacted union organizers to say they were being threatened.
“A CFMEU organizer advised me, [Matthew] Standing about a foot away from my face, Vonhoff said he knew who I was, he knew my bike, he knew my registration bumper, and he was coming after me,” one worker said about an Aug. 8, 2024 incident.
Another said the union had threatened them with violence if they refused to sign a new wage agreement.
“Some CFMEU guys [sic] “Basically, they threatened to crush the CFMEU if he didn’t sign the EBA, and that’s when they showed him the weapons they were carrying (knives, guns, and bats),” they allegedly told Watson.
At that time, there were men at the gate of the project with balaclavas, knives and guns, he said in another email.
