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If it aint broke don’t fix it

Press Releases July 30 2009

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A Federal Court decision, in which the CFMEU and one of its senior officials were fined a total of $15,000 this week, is a timely reminder to the Rudd government not to weaken penalties for unlawful industrial action, Victorian Senator Steve Fielding said today.

“Under the Rudd government’s proposal, the union would have only copped a slap on the wrist offering no deterrent to unlawful industrial action,” Senator Fielding said.

“This latest case proves the Australian Building and Construction Commission is doing its job, and that any move to weaken the commission’s powers would send the wrong message to the unions and open up work sites to more union thuggery.

In an agreed statement of facts, the parties submitted that the CFMEU held an unauthorised stop-work meeting with four employees of a crane contractor on a Bovis Lend Lease project in 2006.

“This case sends a clear message to the unions that unlawful industrial action and thuggery on worksites across the country won’t be tolerated,” Senator Fielding said.

“There is no doubt there is a need for a top cop on the beat to have some real teeth because we don’t want a return to the old days.

“For years there was union thuggery on building sites across the country. But since the ABCC has come along the number of instances of harassment has dropped.”

Under the Rudd Government’s proposal the maximum fine handed out to unions will drop from $110,000 to $33,000 while individual fines will decrease from $22,000 to $6,600.

“No wonder the unions are happy with the Rudd government’s amendments to the ABCC because acts of union thuggery will cost unions a lot less making it more viable for them to be involved in unlawful industrial action,” Senator Fielding said.