CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA

Union’s law-breaking ‘knows no bounds’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 16-Dec-16

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has been fined for failing to comply with the Fair Work Act in its dealings with Hindmarsh Construction Australia. The company was the head contractor on a $105m apartment project in Brisbane, and the court upheld claims that the CFMEU had used a threat of industrial action to force Hindmarsh to accede to its demands. The CFMEU and its former national president Dave Hanna have been fined $A37,500.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, HINDMARSH CONSTRUCTION AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Property sentiment strengthens despite negatives

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 41 : 13-Oct-16

The ANZ/Property Council Survey of real estate and construction industry sentiment for the third quarter of 2016 shows an improvement of two percentage points in confidence. A net 29 per cent of property and construction executives and investors are optimistic about the prospects for the property sector over the next 12 months, compared with 27 per cent in the previous quarter. An improvement in confidence occurred in all states except Queensland and South Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH

Construction work deals blowing out project costs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by John Slater
Herald Sun – Page: 34 : 16-Sep-16

Construction unions have too much influence on big infrastructure projects, demanding excessive wages for no gains in productivity. The Menzies Research Centre has calculated that inefficient work practices and excessive wages on union-controlled construction sites increase the cost of major infrastructure projects by 20 per cent to 30 per cent. The Wonthaggi desalination plant in Victoria is a good example of union power and its consequences.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, THE MENZIES RESEARCH CENTRE LIMITED

Union deals make project costs double US

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Rick Wallace
The Australian – Page: 5 : 12-Sep-16

A report produced by the Menzies Research Centre and the HR Nicholls Society highlights the impact that union influence has on construction costs in Australia. The report concludes that the cost of building infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and airports is typically much higher than in the US. It cites a range of factors, including high labour costs and excessive wage claims, the pattern bargaining system and rostered days off. The report supports measures such as reinstatement of the Australian Building & Construction Commission.

CORPORATES
THE MENZIES RESEARCH CENTRE LIMITED, HR NICHOLLS SOCIETY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, BUSINESS COUNCIL (UNITED STATES), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

ACCC raids CFMEU in probe into price-fixing

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 27-Jul-16

The militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union is under scrutiny for potential cartel activity. Its office in Canberra was raided by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission and the Australian Federal Police on 26 July 2016, in response to allegations of price-fixing that were raised during hearings of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption. Union boss Dave Noonan has denied that the CFMEU or its officials engaged in such practices.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION

Games site hostage to union ‘ploy’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 26-Jul-16

The Federal Court has been told that stopwork action at a key 2018 Commonwealth Games construction site was unlawful and unconscionable. Fair Work Building & Construction claims that the industrial action by the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union was designed to get lead contractor Hansen Yuncken to accept a new enterprise bargaining agreement. The CFMEU says the two-hour stopwork meetings – which were held twice a day – were needed to inform workers about the Coalition’s proposed industrial relations reforms in the lead-up to the federal election.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HANSEN YUNCKEN PTY LTD, BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX LIMITED, HUTCHINSON BUILDERS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FAIR WORK BUILDING INDUSTRY INSPECTORATE

Legal woes mount for CFMEU

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Butler
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Jul-16

The liquidator of two failed building contractors has alleged that officials and employees of the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union threatened to commit unlawful acts. It has also been alleged that they attempted to induce subcontractors at a Melbourne construction site to break their contracts. The Federal Court recently fined the CFMEU some $A180,000 for its role in an illegal blockade of a construction site.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, GROCON PTY LTD, PENTRIDGE VILLAGE PTY LTD, WEST HOMES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, CAPITAL FINANCE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, IMPROVED CONCRETE PUMPING SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Court fines CFMEU over airport blockade

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 5 : 31-May-16

Six senior officials of the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union have received fines ranging from $A1,000 to $A2,750 in the Federal Court of Australia. The union itself has been fined $A12,500 for breaching industrial laws by blockading a project to upgrade Perth Airport in 2013. Fair Work Building & Construction director Nigel Hadgkiss notes that the CFMEU and its officials have now been fined three times in May 2016 for breaches of the Fair Work Act.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, PERTH AIRPORT

Building booms but salaries flatline

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 19-May-16

Official data shows that wages in the construction industry grew by 1.6 per cent in March 2016, which is the same rate of growth as February. Master Builders Australia’s Wilhelm Harnisch attributes the low growth in wages across the sector to a downturn in wages in mining construction following the end of the resources boom. The strong housing construction market in New South Wales and Victoria resulted in both states recording above-average rises in construction wages.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FORUM

Watchdog to target more CFMEU officials

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 16-May-16

The Federal Court’s Justice Debra Mortimer has ruled that the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union cannot use its own funds to pay an $A18,000 fine on behalf of union official Joe Myles. Fair Work Building & Construction director Nigel Hadgkiss has welcomed the court ruling, and signalled that his agency will continue to pursue similar judgments against the militant union.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT