Ugly brawl erupts on North East Link site

Construction workers, who were caught brawling with makeshift weapons in explosive footage, have been banished forever.

An ugly all-in brawl between construction workers on a taxpayer-funded building site has been investigated, with explosive vision showing the scale of the fight.

The Sunday Herald Sun has obtained footage showing workers bashing each other and picking up makeshift weapons on a North East Link building site in Bulleen.

At one point, a man was lying on the ground while being attacked, while another man was seen being floored by a wild haymaker.

The workers appeared to be on the site of a new Park and Ride bus hub built as part of the $15.8bn North East Link, which would allow for public transport to ferry extra people into the CBD once the project is built.

Emergency services were called to the site and one person taken to hospital, although no serious injuries were reported.

No charges have been laid by Victoria Police.

Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan on Sunday said violence on a worksite was unacceptable and that the sub-contractors involved were banished forever.

It’s understood the shocking behaviour involved two subcontractors who have since been booted from the site. Picture: Supplied

“They’re being sent off the site and they won’t be coming back,’’ Ms Allan said..

“I’ve been advised it was over personal matters. But the most important thing is that this violence will not be tolerated and they will not be welcomed back on site.’’

The violence comes amid growing tensions on Big Build sites across Melbourne, amid a war between rival construction unions and accusations of industrial coercion and threats made to subcontractors.

The militant CFMEU has been accused of forcing workers and building firms to switch to union-aligned companies, while the Australian Workers’ Union has launched legal action at global companies after accusing them of making its members redundant.

However, there has been speculation the fight was related to personal tensions between two people.

It is understood the shocking behaviour involved two subcontractors who have since been booted off the work site and told not to return.

The North East Link project team has advised the state that the brawl was a one-off and workers on the site have since been told any violent behaviour will not be tolerated.

One person was taken to hospital following the violent scuffle. Picture: Supplied

“Violence of any kind is unacceptable and seeing this behaviour on site is extremely concerning – the North East Link project team took appropriate action,” a government spokeswoman said.

One source familiar with the project said there had been increased tensions between the CFMEU and the AWU over the past month, with disruptions becoming more frequent.

Union officials at sites such as the West Gate Tunnel and level crossing removals have been demanding AWU-linked companies be removed, with work stopped or delayed at significant cost.

The Victorian Coalition have written to the state’s corruption watchdog requesting a probe into the behaviour and whether the Andrews government’s role in the feud.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the vision was unacceptable and a full investigation was needed.

“The government has a role to keep people safe on building sites across the state and this behaviour is clearly unacceptable,” he said.

“We need to know if this is a regular occurrence and what the government is doing to stamp it out.”