In an op-ed article published in the Herald Sun on 3 July, Master Builders CEO Radley de Silva expressed his concern for the prospects of a healthy and productive building and construction industry, shining the spotlight on persistent coverage of industrial thuggery and lawlessness in the construction sector.

“We are at a crossroads in the history of our sector,” Mr de Silva writes, “where we could choose to make decisions for reform, efficiencies and the rule of law, or continue down the destructive, combative approach of the past, which is costly to our industry and the community at large.”

The article helps to define the context for the next round of negotiations for the industry enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA), the nominal expiry date for which passed on 31 March 2015.

Mr de Silva stressed that the health of the Victorian economy and our standard of living is under threat, as we face significant challenges in ensuring we have a vigorous pipeline of roads and housing infrastructure to accommodate future generations and the growing population of the state.

“While times were good, margins strong and jobs in abundance,” Mr de Silva writes, “we could afford to weather the costs of EBA wage demands and inflexible working practices. Times have changed.”

Read the full op-ed piece.