CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith takes the axe to bikie delegates

CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith has sacked eight Victorian union delegates who are members of outlaw motorcycle gangs, or closely affiliated with them.

CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith. Picture: NewsWire / Gary Ramage

CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith has sacked eight Victorian union delegates who are members of outlaw motorcycle gangs, or closely affiliated with them.

Sources said the sackings ­occurred in recent days after Mr Smith took control of the Victoian branch following allegations it had been infiltrated by criminal elements connected to underworld figures and bikies.

Sources said the dismissals happened in face-to-face meetings between Mr Smith and the delegates, most of whom were ­active members of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

The Australian reported this week that union figures estimate up to 20 delegates in Victoria are either patched gang members, ­recent members or have other ­direct links to bikies.

Sources said the sackings ­ignited security alerts among police and union leaders, and there were concerns earlier this week there would be a rally of angry CFMEU members outside the Victorian Trades Hall Council building in Carlton or the nearby ACTU headquarters. ACTU staff were subsequently told to work from home for the rest of this week as a safety precaution.

Before the sackings, ACTU secretary Sally McManus said the CFMEU needed to remove all delegates with links to bikies.

“They should go. Every single one of them,” she said.

Mr Smith told The Australian this week he would be urgently investigating the background of union delegates.

“It’s the first thing I’ll be looking at,” he said. “We are not a safe harbour for criminal organisations and I will take any steps necessary to remove criminal ­influence from the ranks … where it exists.”

Mr Smith has been resisting ACTU calls for the union to stand down officials subject to criminal investigation.

The ACTU wants the union’s NSW secretary, Darren Greenfield, stood down as well as senior Victorian official Derek Christopher, the likely successor to ­recently departed state secretary John Setka.

The CFMEU Queensland and NSW branches have attacked the Albanese government’s bid to put the union’s construction divisions into administration, increasing the prospect that special federal laws will be needed to take external control of the branches.

The Queensland branch is considering opposing in court the upcoming application by the Fair Work Commission to place the construction divisions into administration, opening the way for Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke to act on his threat to bring in special legislation to fast-track the external appointment.

Mr Burke on Friday opposed employer group calls for a judicial inquiry into the damaging allegations against the union, while rejecting Coalition demands to deregister the union.

He reiterated Labor would not reinstate the Australian Building and Construction Commission, saying the alleged criminal conduct occurred while the ABCC was in place.

Anthony Albanese said the royal commission into trade unions under the former Coalition government was a “farce”.

“That royal commission heard from Bill Shorten for two days as the Labor leader. They recalled the former prime minister, Julia Gillard, to ask her countless questions over many, many hours over issues that had occurred decades beforehand,” the Prime Minister said. “That was a political exercise in which a fun fact for you is that John Setka, who was (Victorian) secretary of the CFMEU, was not called to give one minute’s evidence before that royal commission. It shows what a farce it was.

“We won’t take lectures from the Coalition, who have such a pathetic record on these issues. My government has acted decisively.”