Unions have banded together to help victims of the Queensland floods, providing thousands of hours of volunteer labour and significant financial assistance, according to the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU).

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“One of the things unions have in abundance is skills and expertise,” QCU Assistant Secretary Amanda Richards said.

“Unions across Queensland and interstate have wasted no time in mobilising those assets to help their members and the broader community in its time of need.

“Some unions have emergency relief payments available to members who’ve been affected, others are donating funds and most are donating skills and labour to help clean-up and rebuild.”

“Unions have collaboratively arranged for the supply of work boots, food, drink, sunscreen and hats to clean-up volunteers as well as port-a-loos to affected clean-up sites across the state.”

Ms Richards listed the Adopt-A-School program as one example of union assistance.

The program involves different unions ‘adopting’ affected schools, donating funds to those schools and volunteering hundreds of man-hours of employee and member time to rebuild and repair flood damage.

The QCU itself has adopted Goodna State School and is working through local member Joanne Miller’s office to provide assistance and volunteer labour and expertise.

“The Adopt-A-School program came about because the union movement recognised the need for extra support to get 13 flood-affected schools back to normal as quickly as possible,” Ms Richards said.

“In addition to labour to clean up these schools and expertise to restore essential services, we’re providing funds and supplies including shoes and socks, lunch boxes, backpacks and hats.”

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