CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA

CFMMEU penalties hit $15m after abuse case

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 15-Jun-18

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been fined $A43,200 over the conduct of organiser Bradley Upton. The Federal Court ruled that Upton had sought to intimidate non-union workers on the Gorgon LNG project into joining the union at a meeting in December 2015. Justice Michael Barker said his conduct was "quite appalling" and fined him $A8,100. Workplace Minister Craig Laundy has warned that such conduct in the workplace will occur frequently under Labor’s proposed union right-of-entry laws.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Setka tells Shorten: loosen strike laws

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-May-18

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union’s Victorian secretary John Setka has urged Labor to make changes to the Fair Work Act if it wins the next federal election. Amongst other things, he has called for rules governing protected industrial action and unions’ right to enter workplaces to be relaxed. Setka has also criticised former Labor prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard over their policies on industrial relations. Meanwhile, Michele O’Neil is tipped to succeed Ged Kearney as president of the ACTU. O’Neil is the national secretary of the textiles union, which is part of the CFMMEU.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, VICTORIA POLICE, VICTORIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

Union vows to sue after blackmail case folds

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-May-18

Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions will not proceed with a blackmail case against Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union officials John Setka and Shaun Reardon. Setka has indicated that he may pursue legal action against federal and state police, as well as law firm Freehills. The case against Setka and Reardon had centred on allegations that their threat to blockade Boral trucks in 2013 constituted blackmail. The CFMEU was engaged in an industrial dispute with Boral supplier Grocon at the time. The charges against Setka and Reardon had been recommended by the trade union royal commission.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, GROCON PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURT, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, VICTORIA POLICE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS

Wage theft claim hits project

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Original article by Michael Inman, Steven Trask, Katie Burgess
The Canberra Times – Page: 2 : 15-May-18

Hitchcock Civil Engineering & Landscaping has agreed to have its books audited, following claims of wage theft. The company is a contractor on Canberra’s $A300 million London Circuit project, and it has strongly denied the allegations of wage theft by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union. CFMMEU official Zac Smith contends that more than 20 staff that Hitchcock has working on the project could collectively be out of pocket by $A70,000.

CORPORATES
HITCHCOCK CIVIL ENGINEERING AND LANDSCAPING, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CAPITAL PROPERTY GROUP, CONSTRUCTION CONTROL

Rip appears in union fabric as turf war looms

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 4-Apr-18

Geofabrics alleges that the Queensland division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union breached right-of-entry laws when four officials attempted to gain access to its factory in Ormeau. The industrial textile manufacturer’s staff are represented by the Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of Australia, which recently merged with the CFMEU. TCFUA secretary Michele O’Neil is said to be "aghast" at the CFMEU’s actions. The case will be heard by the Fair Work Commission and Queensland’s industrial relations commission.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, GEOFABRICS AUSTRALASIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, QUEENSLAND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSION, QUEENSLAND COUNCIL OF UNIONS, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Bosses fight CFMEU-MUA super union

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 9-Mar-18

The full bench of the Fair Work Commission will be asked to overturn the decision to approve a merger between the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and the Maritime Union of Australia. The Australian Mines & Metals Association and Master Builders Australia will also seek a stay of the decision, which could give the Federal Government time to pass legislation to subject union mergers to a public interest test. Workplace Relations Minister Craig Laundy has urged the Opposition to support the bill.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Late push to stop creation of super-union

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Mar-18

The Australian Mines & Metals Association believes that the Federal Government can still legislate to block the merger of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and the Maritime Union of Australia. AMMA has suggested amending the Ensuring Integrity Bill so the Government’s public interest test for union mergers applies before a date for amalgamation has been set. In the bill’s present form, the public interest test applies before a merger date has been set, but the Fair Work Commission has already set this for 27 March. The bill has yet to be put before the Senate.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY

Employers lash Coalition on union merger

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 7-Mar-18

The merger between the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and the Maritime Union of Australia is slated to take effect on 27 March, after it was approved by the Fair Work Commission. The Australian Mines & Metals Association has urged the Federal Government to push for the Senate to block the merger prior to this date, although Workplace Relations Minister Craig Laundy argues that the Ensuring Integrity Bill is not retrospective so it would have no impact on the merger. The merged union will boast 144,000 members and $A310m worth of assets.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Judge slams union’s deplorable record

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 27-Feb-18

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has been fined $A95,000 over a "closed shop" policy at a Melbourne construction site. CFMEU delegate Godwin Farrugia has in turn been fined $A10,000 after advising workers that they could not access the site unless their union dues had been paid. The Federal Court’s Justice Richard Tracey ruled that the CFMEU’s frequent breaches of workplace laws meant that a significant financial penalty was justified.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, QUEST APARTMENTS PTY LTD, ARTEAM, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Union fined $1m over Boral boycott

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 15-Feb-18

The Federal Court has ordered the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union to pay fines totalling $A1m for breaching the secondary boycott provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act. The union had banned Victorian building sites from using concrete supplied by Boral in the wake of a 2012 industrial dispute between the CFMEU and Grocon. Justice John Middleton found that the union engaged in a secondary boycott at two building sites, although the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission had contended that 12 sites had been affected.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, ALSAFE PREMIX CONCRETE PTY LTD, GROCON PTY LTD, COURT OF APPEAL (VICTORIA), HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA