As reported in recent News Updates AREEA called for and strongly supports the public interest test in the Ensuring Integrity Bill, which is currently before the Senate.
While in the final sitting week for both Houses of Parliament, AREEA’s key concern is for the introduction of a public interest test for union mergers.
Unions that honestly and lawfully represent their members should easily pass such a test.
CFMMEU – THE PROPOSED MARRIAGE OF THE CFMEU, MUA, AND TCFUA
AREEA has continued to articulate that resources and energy industry employers hold serious concerns that the CFMMEU would cause industrial chaos, created by a monopoly of the supply chain, from pit to port.
There is no country in the world where one single union controls the resources and energy supply chain.
The CFMEU and MUA have clearly stated that the takeover would facilitate the unions’ lawlessness through greater members, finances, and reach of power. The culture and motivators of the CFMMEU can best be described through this video.
The proposed CFMMEU will have close to 150,000 members, with comparable income streams and fortunes of an ASX 500 company. These assets would potentially be pooled, creating a ‘war chest’ for future law breaking.
The uncertainty and disruption that this takeover could bring may discourage investment and employment opportunities in Australia. The wider Australian community is affected by this, through loss of community contributions through taxes and royalties, as well as the practical impact of fewer jobs in the construction, mining, and seafaring industries.
As indicated in the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption, of the 147 cases considered, 109 involved breaches of the law or court orders by the CFMEU. Examples of recent behaviour:
- Intimidating and threatening behaviour at Glencore’s Oaky North mine, a picket line organised by the CFMEU, that the MUA delegates have joined to support;
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- CFMEU are still coercing and bullying workers, were recently fined close to $100,000 for refusing to let a worker who was not a member of the CFMEU work on site, and coercing another worker to pay membership fees before he was allowed to work on site.
- Both unions have no issue in breaking industrial law and causing chaos on major projects;
- CFMEU – Woodside Pluto LNG Project: a 2 day stoppage of the entire construction workforce over a change to accommodation arrangements. This was unlawful and cost the CFMEU $2.1 million in penalties and damages.
- MUA – Chevron Gorgon Project: the MUA utilised safety as a pretext for unlawful industrial action on the project over Chevron’s use of foreign crew. Chevron are seeking up to $10 million in damages.
RESULTS OF BALLOT
Last week, the relevant unions claimed that the MUA had a 50 per cent participation rate, with 87 per cent of members voting yes, and the TCFUA had a 64 per cent participation rate, with 97 per cent of members voting yes.
For further information contact AREEA’s Director of Workplace Relations Amanda Mansini [email protected].