More than 620 bosses sign CFMEU pay agreements

Building unions have signed up more than 600 companies to a CFMEU 21 per cent pay deal in Victoria.

Victorian ETU secretary Troy Gray said it had taken only weeks for 624 employers to agree to a new CFMEU deal. Picture: Aaron Francis / NewsWire

Building unions have signed up more than 600 companies to a CFMEU 21 per cent pay deal in Victoria, attacking national employers for trying to ban “egregious” pro-union clauses from enterprise agreements.

Electrical Trades Union Victorian secretary Troy Gray claimed Master Builders Victoria was at odds with its national arm by supporting the contentious template agreement.

After unions announced their “line in the sand” campaign to sign up 1000 companies to the new agreement, Mr Gray said it had taken only weeks for 624 employers to agree.

The Australian reported this week that the national chief executives of Master Builders Australia, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Contractors Association and the Civil Contractors Federation had written to the government seeking the removal of various union veto clauses from CFMEU agreements.

Mr Gray said after unions saw the letter they sought and received commitments from Master Builders Victoria that it supported the state template agreement. “It’s basically national offices of employer associations trying to make the most out of the ­moment but it’s not reflective of what’s happening in the industry,” Mr Gray said.

Master Builders Victoria chief executive Michaela Lihou said on Tuesday “we have been working with industry around a template enterprise agreement with the CFMEU as a party, which was finalised earlier this year”.

“MBV acknowledges that the template industry agreement may or may not be appropriate for every business, and we will support members should they choose, or not choose, to use it,” she said.

“MBV will continue to advise and assist members in discussions with their employees and their representatives around appropriate industrial instruments, as required.”

ETU national secretary Michael Wright accused national employers of “naked industrial opportunism” by seeking to use the CFMEU administration “as a backdoor to cut wages, undermine conditions, erode safety and expand use of labour hire”.

In their letter to Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt, the employer chiefs called on him to remove agreement clauses that give the union the right of veto over the use of subcontractors; require subcontractors be paid the same as those engaged by the head contractor; and give unfettered rights to officials to attend worker inductions and enter workplaces.

“To pen a letter to the minister requesting permission to evade agreement conditions displays a shamelessness, gall and disregard for the wellbeing of workers,” Mr Wright said.