Qld: Protesters say they were threatened with arrest
BRISBANE, April 24 AAP - A union accused police of blocking a peaceful protest by 60striking workers in Brisbane today.
The protesters were members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) whoare involved in an enterprise bargaining dispute with Transfield Services, a company contractedto carry out maintenance work at Brisbane's Caltex oil refinery.
AMWU spokesman John Moran said the union members gathered outside Transfield's headquartersin George Street in Brisbane around 6am today and were threatened with arrest, despitethe peaceful nature of the protest.
Mr Moran said the workers have been on strike for three weeks and that police had previouslydisrupted their peaceful picket at the refinery site near Brisbane's bayside.
Earlier today, the protesters tried to enter the Executive Building housing the officesof Premier Peter Beattie.
They then marched to the nearby building in which Police Minister Tony McGrady has his office.
Mr Moran said the union was seeking permission for a union delegation to meet senior police.
But a police spokeswoman said that officers had not tried to block protesters fromentering the buildings and that there had been no arrests.
"It was peaceful," she said.
"They had meetings and moved on."
AAP rad/sc/was
KEYWORD: AMWU
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