Union members march against changes to work conditions

Jenny Newport doesn't want to see another worker die of heat stress. Her son Glenn, a construction worker, died on a site in western Queensland 10 years ago. That's why she led thousands of people on a march through central Brisbane on Wednesday. It was 42 degrees the day Glenn died. "The gas project where Glenn worked did not have a heat policy to protect workers," Ms Newport told demonstrators outside state parliament. A coronial inquest into Glenn's death recommended a code of conduct to protect construction workers from heat stress. The coroner also called for a temperature threshold for people to stop work in extreme heat. "I'm calling for both sides of government to follow the coroner's recommendations," Ms Newport said. "Heat stress kills, and those in power have a responsibility to put people before profits." Scores of CFMEU and other union members attended the march. Union leaders fear the Liberal-National Party government will attempt to unwind workplace rights. CFMEU official Matthew Vonhoff also sounded the alarm about reduced access to worksites. He feared delays could allow developers time to cover up safety breaches and avoid accountability. "I call on this government to stop playing your political games, because there are real consequences to workers' lives," he said. Mr Vonhoff also had a message for union members. "When each and every one of you calls us, whether we don't have the right to answer in 24 hours or not, we will be there," he told the crowd. In early November, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie announced a pause on Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPIC) on government-funded major projects. The LNP labelled the conditions a "CFMEU tax" and said they led to poor productivity and increased project costs. In a statement, the deputy premier said the government's position is that all workers should be provided a safe workplace and be well paid. "Worker safety will not be compromised by the suspension of BPIC," Mr Bleijie said. "Best practice workplace health and safety systems and standards will continue to remain in force. "BPIC was only ever a sweetheart deal between the CFMEU and former Labor Government. "Productivity is a key element to delivering projects on-time and on-budget, while protecting wages and safety for all workers."