Ditching a "sweetheart deal" with the CFMEU will lead to third world 2032 Olympic venues and cost lives, a union says.
But the Queensland government is not backing down after suspending Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPICs), slamming the union's "disgraceful" criticism.
The Liberal National Party government has copped a backlash after pausing construction union "perks" and blaming the CFMEU for major project cost blowouts.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the best practice conditions would be suspended for new major government-funded construction projects until a state building industry review.
He said if the conditions remained about 22,000 homes would not be built and cost Queenslanders more than $17 billion over the next six years, pointing the finger at the "militant" CFMEU.
Critics have claimed the conditions - dubbed the "CFMEU tax" by the LNP - led to lower productivity and increased project costs by up to 30 per cent.
But Queensland Council of Unions said removing the conditions would jeopardise 2032 Olympic projects and cost lives, drawing comparisons with the Qatar World Cup where migrant workers died.
Union general secretary Jacqueline King said the conditions were introduced to ensure quality construction work, a level playing field for wages and conditions along with strong health and safety.
"If Jarrod Bleijie gets away with this we can kiss on-time, on-cost delivery for government infrastructure goodbye," she said in a statement.
"The LNP’s legacy will at best see third-world Olympic venues built off the back of overseas workers and with industry fatality rates up there with the Qatar World Cup."
But Mr Bleijie took aim at the union, saying it was "shameful" to suggest their decision would cost lives.
"It's a disgraceful attack on workers. It's a disgraceful attack on industry and business owners," he told reporters on Friday.
"No one wants injuries on their work sites.
"For them to go to that gutter level just shows how desperate they are to continue the CFMEU tax in Queensland."
Queensland's Electrical Trades Union also came out swinging at the deputy premier.
"All these lies about BPICs blowing out construction costs and increasing house prices is just the LNP using workers as a political football," the union's state secretary Peter Ong said.
"House prices were increasing before BPICs was even in planning stages and are driven by market forces."
Mr Ong said the conditions - dubbed a CFMEU "sweetheart deal" by LNP - had been negotiated by all construction unions in Queensland.
The Best Practice Industry Conditions policy outlines construction union workers' pay and conditions for all major state projects.
The LNP government said its decision to suspend the conditions did not impact workplace health and safety principles or a commitment to apprenticeships and traineeships.
"In the same breath he announced the suspension of BPICs the deputy premier said he wants construction workers to be safe and well paid - well, which one is it?," Mr Ong said.
"BPICs ensures safety on construction sites and fair pay for construction workers.
"The deputy premier's announcement is all about optics and makes me question if he even knows what BPICs is."
However the LNP government did find support from Master Builders Queensland and Property Council of Australia.
"Queensland has earned itself the unenviable perception as the least productive state and at a time where we need to deliver critical infrastructure and homes we need to pull all available levers to shed this label," the property council's Jess Caire said.
