Electrical maintenance workers at UQ have had no pay rise for 3 years. Their employer, UGL, has refused to negotiate a pay rise to keep up with inflation, and has threatened them with no pay if they take industrial action.

In response, the UGL workers at UQ have stopped work and are holding a protest on Fred Schoenell drive until the UGL management agree to their demands of a $3.70 pay rise.

A majority of workers on site have rejected the company’s offer, which rejected any pay rise, even though the company’s EBA is long expired, and workers have had no pay rise for 3 years!

UGL has increased its fees to the university by 5% to $103, citing inflation, but refused to pass any of this increase on to workers with a payrise. The bosses at UGL want more profits, but won’t increase wages. 

These workers fix our lab equipment at UQ, maintain safety switches, as well as other essential electrical maintenance on campus. This is highly skilled and dangerous work, dealing with high voltages and often old equipment on campus. Safety on campus is essential for everyone who studies and works at UQ, so we stand in solidarity with these workers and demand that UGL pays its workers their fair share

They deserve a pay rise and better conditions, so we demand

UGL to agree to the demands of their workers for a $3.70 pay rise,
That UQ management ensure these workers are paid what they deserve, 
We argue that the university should not hire scab labour during this strike, as this undermines pay increases for the workers directly employed.