The big freeze: Labor’s national leadership cuts ties with disgraced union
Labor’s national executive is freezing ties with the CFMEU, as corruption accusations continue to chase the disgraced union.
The CFMEU’s construction arm has come under fire over allegations of corrupt conduct and organised crime links within its ranks, with the Fair Work Commission set to appoint an independent administrator to the union.
Several state Labor governments have already moved against the union with Queensland freezing talks, and NSW and Victoria pausing donations from the organisation.
And on Thursday, the federal Labor Party followed suit.
After a national executive meeting, Labor’s national secretary Paul Erickson announced it would suspend the CFMEU’s construction branch’s affiliation to the NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmanian branches of the party.
This means the Labor Party will not accept affiliation fees or political donations from those branches.
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“The number one job of any union and its officials is to look after its members. The reported behaviour is the complete opposite of this,” Mr Erickson said.
The suspension will remain in place until further notice and the party will consider suspending affiliations with the union’s other branches if they are placed into administration.
This comes after Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke vowed to introduce legislation if there were any challenges to the commission’s attempts to put the construction branch of the CFMEU into administration.
Mr Burke has also requested the Fair Work Ombudsman review enterprise agreements made by the Victorian branch of the CFMEU’s construction division after a request from the Victorian premier, and called the Australian Federal Police to investigate the reports.
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Fallout from the allegations has also rattled the broader labour rights movement with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) moving to suspend the construction division of the CFMEU.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government had taken swift measures.
“Where we see corrupt conduct, we want it stamped out,” he told reporters in Queensland.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton urged on the government to go further and previously called on them to deregister the union.
“CFMEU is the most recalcitrant of any of the unions, and they’re an organisation that’s been responsible for bad work practices,” he told Sydney 2GB radio.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus said she was previously unaware of the allegations but estimated it would take years for the union to purge its alleged criminal elements and restore its name.
She also revealed she had been warned of threats to her safety after previous attempts to go after the CFMEU, but remained steadfast.
“We will do what’s necessary, I will do what’s necessary, the union leadership will do what’s necessary,” she said.
“We will not flinch.”
