CFMEU Qld-NT: Chilling threats in militant union’s war with AWU

In a war launched by the CFMEU on its AWU rival, children were threatened and members punched. HOT SPOTS MAPPED

The CFMEU has been relentless in its targeting of the AWU.

Children were threatened, workers punched and cars vandalised in a chilling war launched by the CFMEU to destroy its rival Australian Workers’ Union.

Geoffrey Watson SC’s probe into the CFMEU declared the militant union reserved its worst violence for members of the AWU.

AWU organisers were grabbed and manhandled and labelled “f**king sell-out c**ts” as part of a targeted campaign to wipe out the rival union in South East Queensland and take control of all building sites.

Since 2022 several flashpoints of violence have erupted on sites, including the Centenary Motorway bridge duplication, Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro.

Mr Watson highlighted one especially threatening incident at the Cross River Rail Gabba station construction site in June 2023.

Two AWU organisers were visiting to address members on the progress of a new enterprise bargaining agreement, which was disrupted by two CFMEU representatives “bellowing abuse and chanting, ‘Australia’s weakest union.’

“One (AWU member) had his backpack ripped from his shoulders, he was pushed and shoved and encircled by angry men,” Mr Watson noted.

“One of the men told the organiser that he knew where he had previously worked; another said ‘we won’t stop coming for you – no-one can protect you’ and another said ‘we know where you live’.

“Then one made an especially chilling remark – we know you have two young sons’.”

In another incident, tensions between rival union members were becoming heated when a CFMEU representative rolled up his sleeve and showed off a tattoo.

“You don’t even know who I run with. You better watch yourself”,” Mr Watson attributed to the CFMEU member.

“(The member) denies being a member of or being associated with any members of the Bandidos or any outlaw motorcycle gang, and I accept that denial – but otherwise the aggression disclosed in this encounter is regrettably consistent with other misconduct by (the member) described in this report.”

Mr Watson attributes the spike in violence to the August 2022 election of Stacey Schinnerl as the AWU’s first female state secretary.

When Schinnerl spoke at the ALP state conference in November 2022, she referred to an incident where the CFMEU had stormed the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Ravbar, who was leading the CFMEU contingent at the conference, erupted and demanded that all CFMEU delegates to the conference immediately leave.

Mr Watson wrote: “From that time there has been continuous intimidation of the AWU by the CFMEU.

“There are numerous instances of different kinds of violence inflicted by the CFMEU on members of the AWU – far too many to list all of them.”

AWU vehicles were plastered with stickers reading “Australia’s weakest union” – which the CFMEU spent some $40,000 of members’ money on.

In one incident two CFMEU organisers entered the AWU’s secure carpark and covered vehicles’ windscreens and bodywork with stickers – making them undriveable.

“The CFMEU conduct should not be dismissed as a joke,” Mr Watson said.

“The entry to the carpark, and the damage to the carpark and to the AWU cars constituted deliberate trespasses committed by the senior CFMEU officials.

“It is another example of lawlessness.”

Originally published as CFMEU Qld-NT: Chilling threats in militant union’s war with AWU