Union organiser Ronnie Buckley sues CFMEU over alleged group assault

Militant union CFMEU is being sued by a worker who was allegedly bashed during a safety inspection, sustaining injuries he claims has left him unable to work for nearly four years.

More than 250 CFMEU members gathered at the construction site the day after the alleged assault Picture : Ian Currie

A CFMEU official allegedly bashed by construction workers is suing the militant union alleging it failed to warn him of his assailants’ potential to “behave violently”.

Ronnie Buckley, a former champion discus thrower turned union organiser, and a colleague were allegedly assaulted by up to seven workers when they turned up for a safety inspection at a worksite on Toorak Road in Hawthorn East in June 2020.

The CFMEU at the time said the men were jumped by a group of workers despite having right of entry paperwork, with one of the officials knocked unconscious when he was allegedly hit with a slab of wood before he was kicked on the ground.

Ronnie Buckley is suing the CFMEU after he was allegedly bashed by a group of workers during a safety inspection in 2020. Picture: CFMEU

In documents filed to the County Court, Mr Buckley, 37, said he had been unable to work for nearly four years after he was left with facial fractures, vision impairment in his left eye and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Buckley — who is also suing the site’s developer Raman Shaqiri through his company Shaq City Pty Ltd — alleges the union failed to inform him about who was associated with the property firm and their “potential to behave violently”.

“As a consequence of the negligence and/or breach of duty by (the CFMEU) or its agents and/or (Shaq City Pty Ltd) or its agents, the Plaintiff has suffered and will continue to suffer injury, loss and damages,” court documents state.

Mr Shaqiri, who made headlines over the illegal demolition of Carlton’s Corkman Pub in 2016, at the time claimed the union organisers did not have the right paperwork and were asked several times why they were seeking entry to the job site.

“They would only respond with one word ‘ARREO’ (authorised representatives of registered employee organisations). They were asked to produce copies of permits or other documents that entitled them to enter the site, and they refused to respond,” his lawyer Matthew Francke said.

“They were denied entry and asked to leave. They then became physically aggressive and two staff members of the builder acted defensively. No weapons were involved.”

Police investigated the incident but no charges were laid because the union officials involved reportedly refused to co-operate with Victoria Police or WorkSafe.

More than 250 CFMEU members gathered at the construction site the day after the violence, though the protest was soon called off due to concerns about social distancing requirements that were in place at the time.

Mr Buckley, who won gold in discus throwing for Australia at the Youth World Championships in 2003, through his lawyers declined to comment.
The CFMEU did not respond to request for comment.