By AIDAN KNIGHT
THE Mining and Energy Union’s (MEU) Morwell office says escalating crime and antisocial behaviour in its industrial complex has created an increasingly unsafe workplace.
Staff are reporting drug use, vandalism and threatening incidents occurring in and around neighbouring vacant buildings.
Located on Lignite Court, the union occupies the sole active premises in a five-building complex.
MEU president Andy Smith said problems had been simmering for two years but had sharply intensified in the past six months, despite repeated police callouts and the union installing extensive security measures.
“We just don’t know where to go with it now. We’ve had to put a lot of security measures in place. The police have been here on numerous occasions,” Mr Smith told the Express. In correspondence sent to the complex’s owners corporation earlier this year, the union described the surrounding buildings as abandoned, unsafe and a health risk to employees, visitors and contractors.
The letter warned that the condition of the vacant properties had deteriorated significantly and was attracting ongoing squatting and drug-related activity.
The correspondence detailed an incident in which a contractor working on site had a knife pulled on him, prompting police attendance.
Police searches of nearby vacant buildings allegedly uncovered makeshift squats containing bedding, cooking equipment, drug paraphernalia, weapons and other material deemed unsafe for human habitation.
Despite their best efforts, the surrounding vacancies have made it harder to deter illicit activity that seems to be drawn to the area, and according to Mr Smith, the landlord will not get involved to help resolve the unsafe environment thriving on his property. The union said police advised staff not to enter surrounding buildings due to safety concerns.
The union also claims the vacant properties remain unsecured. The surrounding vacancies have made it difficult to deter illicit activity, with the union argues that the ongoing condition of the site places workers and visitors at unacceptable risk.
“We’ve tried to resolve it amicably with the owner of the buildings around us, but it just hasn’t gone anywhere,” Mr Smith said.
In response to concerns raised through the owners corporation, the owner of the vacant buildings acknowledged the severity of the situation and said they had also been affected by repeated break-ins and vandalism. In written correspondence, the owner said security systems had been damaged multiple times, fencing breached and cameras disabled, despite repeated repairs.
Mr Smith described the length to which the union has had to go in terms of security measures as an extent “you shouldn’t have to when you’re trying to run a business”. He also detailed other examples of neglect from the landlord, such as mould growing in one of the buildings due to unmaintained water pipes. Smith says these are leaking 26,000 litres of wasted water a day, highlighting the level of disrepair these buildings are allowed to fall into under the body corporate’s watch.
Up to 16 workers are impacted by this challenging environment, not just MEU staff but that of the Forestry Union as well, and any union members and visitors attending the premises.
The MEU says the measures have yet to meaningfully improve safety conditions on site.
