‘Piece of sh*t’: Union slugged $287,000 for NQ stadium strike

The CFMMEU and numerous employees have been slapped with massive fines for unlawful action during the construction of a football stadium where they called the director of a subcontractor a “f---ing dog” and “a piece of sh-t”.

A federal justice has blasted the CFMEU’s record as “shameful and deplorable” as he slapped it with whopping $287,500 in fines for illegal strike action which shutdown construction on the North Queensland stadium.

The militant construction union was found guilty of unlawful industrial action against a subcontractor on the $293 million project to coerce it into an enterprise agreement, with officials calling the boss a “f**king dog” and “a piece of sh*t”.

It comes one week after Opposition leader Anthony Albanese promised to scrap the construction watchdog, the Australian Building Construction Commission, which prosecuted the case.

Aerial photos of the new North Queensland Stadium in Townsville during construction in early 2019. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Justice Daryl Rangiah, in handing down his judgment on Wednesday, said the contraventions were “very serious”.

“It has been recognised that, ‘coercion is a particularly serious form of industrial conduct’,” Justice Rangiah said.

“The unions record of contraventions has been described in other cases as ‘disgraceful and shameful’, ‘deplorable and dismal’ … I agree with those descriptions.”

He said there was “a lack of evidence of contrition” from the union.

The CFMEU was slugged $190,000 and its official Grant Harradine $20,000 for organising the unlawful industrial action, while 16 workers who took party in the strike were fined a combined $77,500.

Justice Rangiah found that on multiple occasions in March 2019 the union unlawfully ordered a ban on performing and accepting building work offered by PJ Walsh Constructions related to the stadium work.

He rejected a request from the ABCC for a personal payment order against Mr Harradine.

ABCC Commissioner Stephen McBurney said the project was one of the largest undertaken in north Queensland.

Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) Commissioner Stephen McBurney. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

“The CFMEU’s actions were motivated by a desire to pressure a local subcontractor to comply with the union’s will, regardless of the cost to the company,” he said.

A CFMEU spokesman said the case showed the ABCC and the industrial relations system were not working and that the courts were punishing the victims.

“This is a case of workers standing up for their rights, nothing more nothing less,” he said.

He said the action was being taken due to pay disputes, with the union supporting workers in their action.

“This case highlights the fact the ABCC has zero interest in the wellbeing or rights of workers, and is nothing more than a protection racket,” he said.

“This is a textbook example of injustice and ideological bastardry, and the union is pleased to see a commitment from the federal Labor opposition to disband the whole rotten sham that is the ABCC.”