CFMEU official Joel Shackleton to fight serious charges over threats to builder at work site

A CFMEU official charged with making threats to kill on a building site will face court amid concerns he is still holding considerable influence in the building industry.

A CFMEU official charged with making threats to kill on a building site will face court in August amid concerns he was still holding considerable influence in the building industry.

Joel Michael Shackleton will fight one charge of making a threat to kill and two charges of threatening serious injury during an incident.

He is among other high profile union figures before the courts, with former New South Wales CFMEU boss Darren Greenfield and his son Michael who are fighting bribery allegations.

Former Victorian CFMEU boss John Setka is also being taken to court by the Fair Work Ombudsman for allegedly trying to coerce the AFL to dump umpiring boss Stephen McBurney.

Mr Shackleton was accused of threatening an Indigenous builder who was working on a major Victorian Government project, which was captured on video.

He remains employed by the CFMEU, which is in the hands of administrator Mark Irving who was appointed following reports of the criminal infiltration of the building industry.

It is not suggested that Mr Shackleton, Mr Setka or the Greenfields have any links to criminal organisations.

Joel Shackleton arrives at Melbourne Magistrates court on February 19. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty

Mr Shackleton declined to comment when asked about the charges because they were before the court.

Charges sheets released by the Melbourne Magistrates Court following a hearing last week detailed the three charges against him.

Mr Shackleton was accused on two counts of “without lawful excuse (making) a threat to inflict serious injury. Or being reckless as to whether or not … the said threat would be carried out.”

He was also charged with making “a threat to kill” or “being reckless as to whether or not (the victim) would fear that the said threat would be carried out”.

The incident happened at Berwick, Victoria, on March 16, 2022, with Mr Shackleton accused of making the threat to an Indigenous building company worker who was linked to the CFMEU’s rival the Australian Workers Union.

Both unions have competed for decades for control of civil construction, or road and rail, projects.

Mr Shackleton has been banned from attending worksites, with the Fair Work Commission refusing him a right of entry permit.

Industry sources claim that Mr Shackleton remains in charge of organising the Indigenous building contractors and has considerable decision making in which companies get lucrative union enterprise bargaining agreements.

A spokesman for Mr Irving did not respond to questions before deadline about whether Mr Shackleton still had a say over which companies received EBAs or if the union was paying his legal bills.

Originally published as CFMEU official Joel Shackleton to fight serious charges over threats to builder at work site