CFMEU vows to destroy Labor Party, launch High Court challenge
As more than 60,000 workers staged protests, sacked union leaders have threatened to disrupt the waterfront and mount a High Court challenge in days in a bid to reverse a takeover of the union’s militant construction division.
You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.
Sacked CFMEU leaders have vowed to campaign for the “absolute destruction” of the Labor Party, threatening to disrupt the waterfront and mount a High Court challenge in days in a bid to reverse a takeover of the union’s militant construction division.
As more than 60,000 construction workers staged capital city protests against the federal government, the union’s former national secretary, Christy Cain, said he would urge maritime union members to walk off the wharves en masse and join the next rally opposing the decision to put the union’s construction divisions into administration.
Construction union leaders attacked Anthony Albanese as an “absolute disgrace”, declaring he would be “gone at the next election”, while accusing ACTU secretary Sally McManus of being a “sellout to working people” for not opposing the administration.
Queensland’s ousted CFMEU state secretary, Michael Ravbar said he would launch an urgent High Court challenge as the applicant, calling on protesters to vote out the Prime Minister and Premier Steven Miles at the upcoming elections.
Mr Ravbar said Mr Albanese was coming after the CFMEU to distract from his own policy failures and that he had “no strength, no vision, he has got a glass jaw”.
“He has failed in regards to major policy issues like cost of living, housing, climate change and I could go on and on,” he said.
“The thing about Albo is he spends more energy trying to get rid of his political opponents than he will do running this country.”
Ousted NSW secretary Darren Greenfield told the crowd in Sydney that at the next federal election and state election “we need to vote these bastards [Labor] out”.
Accusing the ACTU of being an arm of the Labor Party, Mr Greenfield said Ms McManus had sold out workers by backing in the government. “She’s supposed to be running the peak union body in this country.
“We pay her to look after us, and she sold us out for the Labor Party,” he said.
Mr Greenfield’s ousted NSW deputy, Rob Kera, said: “In the name of my son and his children and his grandchildren and everyone after that … we’re going to campaign for the absolute destruction of the Australian Labor Party”.
Mr Albanese defended the government’s move to clean up the CFMEU, saying there would be “consequences” if people walked off the job for the rallies. He defended his government’s action on the CFMEU as being “in the interests of all trade unionists”.
“We respect the work that construction workers do,” he said. “It’s a tough job and they do magnificent work, including here at this wonderful airport. What we want to do, though, is to make sure that their union is free of corruption.”
Electrical Trades Union Victorian secretary Troy Gray told the Melbourne rally, attended by up to 50,000 workers, unions were considering three or four legal challenges to the administration.
Mr Gray said five unions were prepared to fund the action, although it would take six months to work through the courts because of the complexity involved.
Workers chanted “Here to stay” in support of former CFMEU Victorian secretary John Setka and his deputy, Derek Christopher, as well as other state officials and construction unions.
Mr Cain called on maritime workers to support the construction division like the CFMEU backed the maritime union during the 1998 waterfront dispute.
“I am calling on all wharvies, all the seafarers, all the offshore workers, the next time there is a rally that we stop the job and go down there,” he said. “Bad laws are there to be broken. Sally McManus said it and these are bad laws.”
He accused Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt of having “never worked a day in his life”.
“As far as I’m concerned, construction workers, maritime workers, real trade unionists will fight this to the end. Murray Watt, you’re out of business, brother, you’re gone.
“And you Mr Albanese, you are a disgrace, an absolute disgrace to call yourself Labor. You are a disgrace and you are gone at the next election as well as Cash and others you got into bed with.”
After the 90-minute rallies, Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth encouraged employers to notify the FWO if employees had walked off the job without permission.
Under the Fair Work Act, workers failing to attend work or stopping work without authorisation can constitute unprotected industrial action, meaning the employer is required to deduct a minimum of four hours’ wages from the employee, even if the industrial action was less than four hours.
Ahead of the rallies, Mr Gray accused the FWO of “pouring fuel on the fire” and predicted workers would either go home or go to the pub after the protest.
Additional reporting: Lydia Lynch, James Dowling
Gallery takes First Nations art to world
More than 200 key works by about 130 First Nations artists from the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection will be showcased in a ‘landmark’ exhibition in Washington next year.
Kylie takes on the world (again)
Just a few years ago it seemed Kylie Minogue’s career was on the downslope. Now, she will soon embark on her biggest world tour since 2011, with a new album to be released next month.