The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) has slammed Tim Nicholls and Scott Emerson for ordering passenger trains from India and is calling for the work to be reshored.
The comments follow the Queensland Government’s announcement that delivery of the new overseas trains would be halted following the discovery of significant problems with breaking, driver visibility, disability access, air-conditioning and ventilation.
In 2014, the LNP government entered into a $4.4B contract for the QR passenger trains to be manufactured overseas in India, citing cost savings as the reason for offshoring the work.
AMWU Queensland and Northern Territory Secretary, Rohan Webb said that Tim Nicholls and Scott Emerson had sold local manufacturing workers down the river and that Queensland families were now bearing the brunt of their catastrophic mistake.
“Taxpayers shouldn’t fork out one red cent for these shoddy Indian trains. The LNP sacrificed thousands of Queensland manufacturing jobs by building these trains overseas and now we find out that they’re shoddy, unsafe and more expensive.
“Queensland manufacturing workers have a proven track record of delivering trains on time, at a high quality and on budget. When trains are built locally, the whole Queensland community benefits including families, regional towns and local businesses.
“But instead of boosting the local economy by building Queensland trains in Queensland, the LNP decided to send our business overseas and not a single train delivered has successfully passed testing.
“Maryborough, Townsville, Rockhampton and South East Queensland all have capacity for rail manufacturing or maintenance. That’s where these trains should be built”.
“The AMWU has been actively arguing for local rail content for decades and now we’re calling on the state government to reshore the work to give Queenslanders at shot at building the trains here.”
