Trade union royal commission: industry chiefs go in to bat

Industry has declared the trade union royal commission “vital” for the Australian community.

Fought the unions and won ... Daniel Grollo

Industry has declared the trade union royal commission “vital” for the Australian community, joining the fight against the ACTU bid to force Dyson Heydon to disqualify himself as commissioner.

Business leaders yesterday expressed their fury at attempts by Labor and the union movement to derail the inquiry, which will culminate today with the ACTU petition based on Mr Heydon’s decision to attend — and later withdraw from — a Liberal Party event.

ACTU national secretary Dave Oliver repeated his call for Tony Abbott to “shut down” the royal commission “and to stop wasting millions of taxpayer dollars pursuing his own political agenda”, while the Australian Workers Union announced it would submit a separate application to the commission.

Daniel Grollo, the executive chairman of the Grocon construction empire, told The Australian the commission was “needed” by the public.

“The royal commission into trade union corruption is currently conducting important work, it should be permitted to continue that work,” said Mr Grollo, who received death threats during a dispute about whether Grocon should pay for union stewards.

“I know it is needed because our people have been victims, via very public displays, of the kind of unlawful behaviour that has been tabled before the commission to date.

“Among other things it will enable the Australian public to receive the benefit of much-needed infrastructure constructed for the right cost, and without taxpayer dollars being inflated and diverted elsewhere.”

Peak body the Australian Industry Group also backed the commission’s work, which it said was “more important than a dispute about those involved in the commission’s deliberations”. Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said: “The royal commission’s work is vital for industry and the broader community.

“The case for change is un­ambiguous and overwhelming. Any interruption to the royal commission’s work would not be in the community’s interests.”

Mr Willox emphasised that industry­ was “looking to the royal commission to recommend changes to laws and institutions to address the major problems that are currently occurring”.

Mr Heydon’s discussion paper, Options for Law Reform, is open for submissions until tomorrow.

The unions will submit their application today for Mr Heydon to disqualify himself as commissioner on the grounds that he is biased for agreeing to appear at the Liberal Party event.

Mr Heydon will hear the matter tomorrow. If he declines to recuse­ himself, the unions are likely to apply to the courts.

Under Mr Grollo’s leadership in 2002, Grocon became the first construction company in Victoria to try to negotiate a non-union deal with its workers. The Melbourne-based company, one of the nation’s biggest builders, was also the target of a secondary boycott of building material­s giant Boral.

During his dispute with the CFMEU, Mr Grollo accused the union of blatantly operating outside the law.

The CFMEU blockaded two Grocon sites in Melbourne and Sydney in 2012 during a bitter 16-day dispute over who should pay for shop stewards.

The death threats came during the dispute as Mr Grollo stared down the union, which was later fined $1.25 million and convicted of contempt of court.

The owner of a small Canberra scaffolding business, who gave evidence before the royal commission earlier this year, said he was concerned that its findings were being obscured by the attempts to discredit Mr Heydon.

Petar Josifoski, owner of MPR Scaffolding, gave evidence to the commission alleging the CFMEU tried to force him to sign a union enterprise agreement, and threatened to use its influence to deprive him of business if he refused.

Additional reporting: Joe Kelly, Kylar Loussikian