Workers sacked for wearing stickers on hard hats

Electrical Trades Union
June 6 2016

Fair Work Building and Construction (FWBC) are playing politics with construction workers’ lives by focusing on the removal of stickers on hard hats rather than threats to worker safety, the ETU says.   

Laing O’Rourke Construction Australia this week ordered workers on the Ichthys LNG Construction Site near Darwin to remove “logos, flags, or indicia” to clothing and property, following an audit of the site by FWBC.

FWBC told the company it was in “serious breach” of section 15 of the 2013 Building Code “arising from the display of Union paraphernalia in the form of flags, posters and stickers affixed to PPE”.

The ETU understands three workers have since been sacked from the site for not removing their Union stickers.   

Electrical Trades Union Queensland and NT Assistant Secretary Peter Ong said FWBC had misrepresented section 15 of the clause and put Union Members’ livelihoods at risk for political ends.

“Section 15 says nothing about the display of Union stickers or paraphernalia and in fact ensures workers of the right to become Members of a Union, and says they cannot be discriminated against, or terminated, because of their participation in an industrial association,” he said.

“By denying Freedom of Association, FWBC are themselves contravening the code.”   

Mr Ong said Laing O’Rourke were refusing to speak to the Union about resolving the issue and the Union has filed a dispute with the Fair Work Commission in an attempt to have the umpire resolve the issue.

He said FWBC, and its predecessor the ABCC, were concerned with Union busting not workers’ lives or livelihoods.

“There have been so many health and safety issues at that site that Laing O’Rourke, had to close the operation down for three days last week to try to resolve them. Yet when FWBC held an audit the only concern they had was Union stickers?” he said.

“We’re going to an election around the ABCC and the Building Code and this is what these industrial authorities are designed to do? Get people sacked for wearing Union stickers on their hard hats?”

I've seen this before. Don't know how real the threat is either but the situation was that the insurer's didn't want any risk of the glue on the sticker causing a reaction with the plastic.

The ETU understands three workers have since been sacked from the site for not removing their Union stickers.   

The hard hats that we had in my last job specifically stated that any stickers, engraving or alterations to the hat itself would void any warranty or liability.   I think 'sacking" someone over it must be a bit excessive - although I don't know the full history - but denying access to the workplace until they supplied or obtained another hat would be an option

to each his own.. all I kn ow is when driving behind a car with a lot of stickers on the back I tend to read the stickers instead of watching the road..

its the same with notices alongside the road..lucky us in ACT they are mostly illegal...but isnt the idea when driving/ working in a hard hat area you keep your eye on the road/work place rather than read stickers???


I find it a bit immature to be honest...let them put their stickers on their lunch boxs....

If this is true, and they have sacked these workers, I would hope the union shuts down the work site.  Until such a time as these workers are reinstated. with no money lost to the workers.      

Armchair_Politician wrote on Jun 6^th, 2016 at 10:44am:


Its about being in a union and nothing else ,BECHTEL tried this on with us in 2010 but soon backed down

Armchair_Politician wrote on Jun 6^th, 2016 at 10:44am:


Bullsh1t.

I've seen red and green ones, which can be hard to see.

Mine's white (or rather, was white).

Most sites I've worked on in heavy industry use the different colours to
differentiate between different branches. For example, general workers
wear yellow, fitters wear green, sparkies wear red, boffins wear blue etc.

And bosses or supervisors invariably wear white.

And your argument about stickers reducing visibility falls apart once you
realise that most of them are actually reflective or fluorescent, and so
actually make the wearer MORE visible. In fact, that's one reason some
apply them (myself included).

So no, unless (as I said earlier if you were paying attention) the stickers
are actually offensive, the order is NOT justified.

You (and they) are simply union-bashing.

As usual.