The decision by Fair Work Australia to force employees at Muja A Power Station to work
in areas that have the potential to contain asbestos has disappointed AMWU members and undermined their faith in the Fairwork Australia system, AMWU State Secretary Steve McCartney said today.

Last Friday AMWU members located asbestos within areas of the Muja A Power Station
and were initially given the green light to work in those areas the following Monday.

After workers again located asbestos they removed themselves from
the contaminated areas until swab tests prove that the area is not contaminated.

"Our members have fronted up every day ready to work in areas that can be declared uncontaminated by swab testing.

United Group and Verves response to this is to refuse to pay employees and to take
them to the commission and force them to work in potentially life threatening
environment." 

AMWU members will today demand that Verve funds and carries out independent
testing.

"It is some thing out of the dark past when disillusioned workers felt they had to fight for
their rights against asbestos. Verve or United Group should have done this testing to
ensure there employees safety before the project started. They should be ashamed of
themselves," Mr McCartney said.

"This is a situation crying out for intervention from the Barnett Government. All we have
had so far is deafening silence from the Minister for Commerce, asbestos is an issue that
is sensitive to our members and is not one that will go away.

Our members understand that the effects of asbestos exposure and mesothelioma will
be felt well after this government and the management at Verve and United Group are
gone.

The workers refuse to be forced to put themselves and their families in danger."