Wild scenes as construction workers flood city streets around Australia to protest the collapse of building companies and demanding a pay rise – and perform a powerful haka

By Freddy Pawle For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 04:34 BST, 5 April 2023 | Updated: 04:43 BST, 5 April 2023

Construction workers have taken to the streets of some of Australia’s biggest cities to demand a payrise and special rules to stop building companies from collapsing.  

Around 5,000 protesters have walked off the worksite and flooded the streets of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on Wednesday, carrying CFMEU shirts and flags and issued a call for worker salaries to increase in line with inflation. 

They also called for the Fair Work Ombudsman to be abolished, demonstrated against ‘wage theft’ and ‘sham contracting’.

In Melbourne, there was a powerful moment as a group of tradies gathered to perform a haka. 

Meanwhile in Brisbane the glass door at the entrance of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices was smashed during the protest through the city. 

At Melbourne's Trades Hall, there was a powerful moment as a group of tradies gathered to perform a haka.

At Melbourne’s Trades Hall, there was a powerful moment as a group of tradies gathered to perform a haka.

Meanwhile in Brisbane the glass door at the entrance of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices was smashed during the protest through the city.

Meanwhile in Brisbane the glass door at the entrance of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices was smashed during the protest through the city.

Meanwhile in Brisbane the glass door at the entrance of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices was smashed during the protest through the city.

The mass demonstrations come five days after the collapse of Victorian based construction company, Porter Davis Homes.

The construction giant’s closure has reportedly left many tradies out of pocket and nearly 2500 projects and 470 staff in jeopardy.

Several building sites have been targeted by vandals with one house in Melbourne’s suburbs burned to the ground. 

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