Keep The Supplementary Labour / Subcontractor Clause
The supplementary labour / subcontractor clause helps maintain a level playing field and prevents wages, conditions and industry standards from being undercut. No race to the bottom.
EBA’27 Raise the Pace
Our next agreement must do more than keep up. It must lift wages, defend our conditions, protect our time and make every workplace safer.
That is the clear mandate from CFMEU WA members.
Survey at a glance
Members have set a clear direction
CFMEU WA members across commercial construction, FIFO, civil and regional sites have spoken about their wages, conditions, safety and future.
96%
are satisfied with their union membership.
95%
would recommend union membership to a workmate.
93%
want to keep the locked-in monthly RDO calendar.
88%
are prepared to take protected industrial action for EBA’27.
The message could not be clearer: members are united, organised and ready to Raise the Pace.
Priorities
A strong mandate for a strong EBA
The survey is done. The demands are set. These are the priorities that will define EBA’27.
A Pay Rise Of 5% Or More Each Year
Members want wage increases that move them forward – not increases that disappear into higher mortgages, rents, groceries, fuel and insurance.
Decent Site Amenities
Members demand clean, safe and accessible toilets on every job. Basic dignity should never be negotiable.
Keep Locked-In RDO’s
Members want certainty over their working time and family time. The monthly RDO calendar is a core condition that must be defended.
Portable Paid Parental Leave
Members support an industry-wide scheme that follows workers from job to job.
Why?
Why we must raise the pace
01 Real wage growth
Make Hard Work Pay
Construction workers create enormous value.
EBA’27 must deliver wage increases that recognise that contribution and help members get ahead of rising living costs.
It is not just what you earn. It is what you have left.
02 Defend our conditions
Keep What We Fought For
Locked-in RDOs, overtime rates, allowances, redundancy protections and workplace rights were not handed down by employers. They were won through generations of members standing together.
If we do not defend those conditions, employers will try to wind them back.
03 Greater job security
Stop The Race To The Bottom
Secure, full-time employment is a leading priority for members.
EBA’27 must protect genuine jobs, stop wages being undercut and prevent dodgy labour arrangements from driving down standards across the industry.
A strong supplementary labour / subcontractor clause protects every worker covered by the agreement down the contractor chain.
04 Safer, more respectful workplaces
Every Worker Home Safe
Safe workplaces, elected health and safety representatives, proper amenities and respectful treatment are not optional extras.
They are fundamental workplace conditions.
EBA’27 must continue setting the pace on safety—and we will not take a backward step.
The cost-of-living reality
Work all week. Pay the bills. What’s left?
61%
of members report financial pressure from mortgages, rent and rising household expenses.
Almost half are working extra Saturdays simply to meet their household costs.
Our wages cannot stand still while everything around us keeps going up.
EBA’27 is our opportunity to win real wage growth and give working families more breathing room.
Workplace flexibility
Work should fit into life—not take it over
Members want practical workplace flexibility that recognises family responsibilities, caring commitments and the needs of older workers.
Flexible starting and finishing times emerged as the leading priority, supported by interest in compressed working weeks, job sharing and genuine part-time options.
Workers need greater control over their time without sacrificing wages, conditions or job security.
EBA’27 should create fair and clearly defined flexibility – not arrangements employers can change whenever it suits them.
More Certainty. More Balance. More Time For Life.
FIFO and resources
Respect every hour. Protect every roster.
FIFO and resources members identified clear priorities for EBA 27.
40%
lose between one and two full days of personal R&R time travelling to and from work.
35%
do not have a worker-elected HSR in their workgroup.
66%
identified real wage increases as a leading priority.
42%
want paid travel time and improved travel allowances.
FIFO members also want more predictable and family-friendly rosters, superannuation paid on all hours worked, better food and accommodation, reliable internet and enforceable camp standards.
Time spent travelling for work is still a worker’s time. It must be recognised.
Collective strength
88%
Of Members Are Prepared To Take Protected Industrial Action.
More than half support 24-hour stoppages, with strong backing for shorter stoppages, work-to-rule action and overtime bans.
Members understand that better wages and conditions are not simply given to us.
They are won when members stand together.
What are we fighting for?
Real wage increases that beat rising living costs.- Secure jobs and genuine full-time employment.
- Locked-in RDOs and greater roster certainty.
- Strong overtime rates and allowances.
- Superannuation and redundancy protections.
- A strong supplementary labour / subcontractor clause.
- Safer workplaces and elected HSRs.
- Clean, safe and accessible amenities.
- Better FIFO travel, roster and camp conditions.
- Employer-funded licences, tickets and renewals.
- Portable paid parental leave.
- Practical flexibility for families, carers and older workers.
- Fair options for flexible starting and finishing times.
- Greater control over working hours without sacrificing wages, conditions or job security.
- Respect and dignity on every job.
These priorities came directly from the membership.
Now we need the strength of the membership to win them.
