ETU push to lock in 20pc pay deal ahead of election

The Electrical Trades Union will push for a four-year 20 per cent pay rise deal ahead of the federal election for 20,000 Victorian sparkies as unions down tools for a second round of protest rallies next week.

ETU Victorian secretary Troy Gray says a Dutton government ‘will be worse for unions’. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

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The Electrical Trades Union will push for a four-year 20 per cent pay rise deal ahead of the federal election for 20,000 Victorian sparkies as building unions launch a “line in the sand campaign” against the CFMEU administration, downing tools for a second round of protest rallies next week.

Building industry unions in Victoria have called a mass meeting of 700 delegates for Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne on Thursday to kick off their campaign in support of industrywide enterprise agreements and vent their anger at the government and the ACTU over the CFMEU administration.

Officials said they expected the delegates to endorse a protest rally in Melbourne for next week, with simultaneous rallies being discussed for Sydney and Brisbane. The rallies follow 60,000 construction workers staging cap-ital city protests two weeks ago.

In the wake of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union splitting from the ACTU last week, officials also revealed 12 state secretaries from four unions had committed to attend a summit of blue-collar unions to discuss setting up a rival union bloc.

In a video message to union members on Monday, ACTU secretary Sally McManus explained why the peak union body supported the government acting against the CFMEU, saying there was no place in the union movement for “crooks or violence”.

“Unfortunately, some of the individuals who do bear responsibility, and could have, at many points, acted to avoid what has occurred, now want to blame everyone else,” she said.

ETU Victorian secretary Troy Gray said the union would seek to lock in a new industrywide agreement ahead of the federal poll to protect against the event of a Dutton government.

He said the election outcome was shaping as a minority Labor or minority conservative government, and “there’s no question a Dutton government will be worse for unions”.

“There’s no doubt there are dark clouds on the horizon,” he said. “If Dutton got in, then you’re looking at royal commissions, deregistration, ABCC, building code, integrity bill, fit and proper person test. If that environment was likely, I would probably go for the longest agreement we can go for which is four years.

“Whether it’s a question of concern or being strategically smart, I’ve been in the game for 30 years and I think we’ve had about eight prime ministers in that time of different ilks. My view is if there is a conservative government about to get in we should lock down our industry agreements for as long as we can.”

The union’s industrywide Victorian agreement expires in March 2025 and Mr Gray said the union would seek to start negotiations soon for a new deal, and get it approved by the Fair Work Commission by April.

Before it was taken over, the CFMEU in Victoria secured a new industry agreement that provided for 21 per cent in pay rises over four years. “We want to be getting at least that,” Mr Gray said, adding the ETU “always likes to get better than the CFMEU”. “We’d be wanting to land at about 5 per cent a year,” he said.

But he acknowledged the takeover of the CFMEU weakened the ETU’s bargaining position as the CFMEU’s construction division was an industry pacesetter for wages.

Mr Gray said companies collectively employing 3000 workers had walked away from paying the first 5 per cent pay rise under the CFMEU agreement. The proposed “line in the sand” campaign was about a unified position by building unions in support of industry agreements and ensuring construction companies implemented the CFMEU agreement.

Mr Gray said the summit of blue-collar union officials would be held in Melbourne in 2½ months, with 12 state secretaries from across the country to attend.

Meanwhile, the Health Services Union national executive on Monday decided to take legal action to force its Victorian branch, known as the Health Workers Union, into administration following damaging allegations.