News & Events CFMEU Protests

[standingroomonly]

So it's OK for some tradies to get pissed and put everyones life in danger or but if one builder doesn't cave to their demands and wants to hire non EBA labour or control how their money is spent then it's OK to blockade the city, refuse comply with a supreme court order and waste police resources...

 

[Oscarman]

Surely a shop steward has to already work for the company. I don't blame Grocon for not wanting to have someone hand picked by the CFMEU on the site. I'm guessing a site specific allowance may also be part of the dispute.

 

[raven echo]

Mr. Burns: Smithers, get me some strike breakers... the kind we had in the 30s!

 

[DustinsGuns]

My problem with CFMEU workers is they harp on constantly about safety etc. yet being in the pub game every single lunchtime if there is a worksite nearby we'll be flooded with tradies drinking half a dozen pots then going back and working at heights, with machinery etc....Bring up mandatory breathalysers and/or drug testing and you'll receive a decent rant about rights and privacy!

They aren't about safety. They are about cash.

Simply not true.

On a commercial site for half decent builder, anyone who is seen under the influence of Alcohol will be hung, drawn and quartered

 

[DustinsGuns]

The issue with the CFMEU is school yard bully tatics.

It is against the law for Commercial Construction companies to ask or only employ subcontractors who have CFMEU EBA's. However, if subcontractors without EBAs come onsite and the Union finds out (even on non-union sites) then there is hell to pay. The Builder has done nothing wrong but the CFMEU will be down there every second day closing down the site for the smallest OHS indiscretions, indiscretions that they would ignore otherwise.

I work for a Commercial Builder and the fact is, most Sub-contractors and a good portion of their employees think the CFMEU and other trade Unions are actually making things worse for them on an operational level. Unions have been a vital part of Australia for a long time, but now they have nothing to really complain about and are being swallowed up by their own insignificance.

John Setka is a thug. He is complaining about Grocon not letting them elect their own Shop Stewards saying it is their right and that it is common practice on all site. Wrong. Almost all commercial builders employ their shop stewards as OHS Representatives because they pay their wages.

In saying all this, Daniel Grollo has been way too ignorant in the way he has handled this ordeal.

One big last F*** YOU to the CFMEU and ETU before they shut-up shop and move out of Victoria again me thinks.

(also, don't make the mistake of thinking all Union members and Construction workers are the same as these great unwashed clowns)

 

[watts4ever]

unions rule

 

[Harvey Leadpipe]

The issue with the CFMEU is school yard bully tatics.

It is against the law for Commercial Construction companies to ask or only employ subcontractors who have CFMEU EBA's. However, if subcontractors without EBAs come onsite and the Union finds out (even on non-union sites) then there is hell to pay. The Builder has done nothing wrong but the CFMEU will be down there every second day closing down the site for the smallest OHS indiscretions, indiscretions that they would ignore otherwise.

I work for a Commercial Builder and the fact is, most Sub-contractors and a good portion of their employees think the CFMEU and other trade Unions are actually making things worse for them on an operational level. Unions have been a vital part of Australia for a long time, but now they have nothing to really complain about and are being swallowed up by their own insignificance.

John Setka is a thug. He is complaining about Grocon not letting them elect their own Shop Stewards saying it is their right and that it is common practice on all site. Wrong. Almost all commercial builders employ their shop stewards as OHS Representatives because they pay their wages.

In saying all this, Daniel Grollo has been way too ignorant in the way he has handled this ordeal.

One big last F*** YOU to the CFMEU and ETU before they shut-up shop and move out of Victoria again me thinks.

(also, don't make the mistake of thinking all Union members and Construction workers are the same as these great unwashed clowns)

Nailed it. Just a matter of time before skilled, honest and reliable workers will start to be recognised over the mass of semi-competent sloths that down toolls at the drop of a hat. If you were an employer/constructor/develpor, who would you want on the worksite?

 

[Tiff]

I'm a member of a trade union, though it's under the engineering union so it's nothing like the cfmeu. We're not militant and it's really only there so workers have a leg to stand on if something's not right, regarding conditions or pay etc.

It's done nothing but good things as far as I'm concerned. If it wasn't for them and the hard yards my Uncle put into fighting for our conditions there it'd be a hell hole like a couple of other engineering shops that I won't name. Believe me, management and directors will take people for rides if they are allowed the freedom to.

Those places pay well, but are dangerous, and they bully and pressure you. The other places are like concentration camps, my shop is like a normal workplace.

Though when we have union meetings the head honcho comes out and starts yelling and swearing, which I can't stand, it makes us look like the cfmeu and like smelly monkeys, which is what people think as soon as they see high vis shirts. Gives us a bad name, when in this trade the majority are extremely intelligent and talented craftsman. Not including myself

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

Great so the union thugs are protesting and causing a rukus because they havent been given bribes. Amirite?

God help us all if union thugs ever manage to interfere with the day to day business of corporate thugs.

 

[JockStewart]

We would have nothing but an Old Skool kefafu eh muz.

 

[JuddsABlue]

I work in a heavily unionized industry with one of the more rougher union around

Usually the union give us more grief than the men, so we often go around the union to arrange things with the men because they understand what's in their best interest while the union are constantly looking for anything to take to FWA. They are in a huge fight to remain relevant. The men dot need or want them, but they know better than to not be a member

It's amazing how most of them act like the union employ them. Recently we've told a few trouble makers to run to their union and see what they pay them come payday.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

If the CFMEU is 'militant' I'd hate to ever deal with a real militant group...

 

[Caesar]

If the CFMEU is 'militant' I'd hate to ever deal with a real militant group...

Wut?

 

[Chism]

I am a CFMEU member and have worked in commercial construction for over 8 years on a heap of jobs in Melbourne. There are a few issues that are causing this ruckus and the MAIN one is the fact that Grollo wants to bring in cheap labour from interstate who are not financial members so they can avoid paying the EBA rates to other workers who are union members and bear in mind that ALL of the major builders have signed the EBA by the way including Grollo.

Union organiser entry to site is also an issue as well as on site shop stewards but these issues are nothing new and only added fuel to the fire that started this picket line and eventually the union said enough is enough when Grollo wanted to run his sites without paying EBA rates by hiring cheap labour.

Until you have actually worked in the industry it is hard to understand just how important the union is to us members and the corporate bosses are more thuggish and bigger pricks than any union official will ever be but the papers don't like to report that stuff.

If Grollo gets away with paying non EBA rates and scab labour then Leightons , John Holland , Baulderstone and every other tom dick and harry will try it and it will kill the industry and workers way of lives with the corporate fat cats the only people making money and it is a big pie to share around and the workers deserve to be paid decent rates as well when they are doing all the hard work and Melbourne lead this country in construction safety and quality for a reason and the training and expertise the CFMEU bring is second to none.

 

[Chism]

So it's OK for some tradies to get pissed and put everyones life in danger or but if one builder doesn't cave to their demands and wants to hire non EBA labour or control how their money is spent then it's OK to blockade the city, refuse comply with a supreme court order and waste police resources...

Drinking during lunch time is a massive no no and yes we do get alcohol tested at any random time and it does happen and if one is found guilty etc the sack will come and the Union will do nothing for you like they should.

Also lets look at the flip side of your argument when the fat cat bosses want buildings finished by deadlines to make the $$$ and when the job runs behind for a heap of different reasons from inclement weather and engineering faults and changes with new drawings and alterations they PUSH big time to save time and money. This includes putting pressure on workers to work unsafely by making crane crews dog loads incorrectly and unsafely with a " That will do " attitude and "Just blardy do it or you will be sacked " and this is what kills people make no mistake about it. Without the Union on site the bosses get away with letting chains for lifting go out of date by a few weeks , allowing people to work with tools that are not safe and checked , pouring slabs that may need a few more props under them for support but once again don't worry lets start pouring it will be o.k. and the boys will do it unsafely while we sit in the office with the heater on and count the $$$ for the month. Until you have worked in the industry like i stated before you know really SFA about what you are talking about and just support the media spin that we are all thugs and don't want to work.

I have seen these issues first hand and been told to rig up loads incorrectly and unsafely for a crane to lift by bosses because they couldn't waste time in getting the appropriate lifting equipment from the other side of the job as it is hurry hurry attitude that always wins and when something does happen sadly worksafe are coming for me not my boss and i should of known better than to rig it up like that as a ticketed and trained worker for that task. Worksafe don't see the sack threats that happened 30mins ago if the load did not get lifted and the boss will drop you like you a hot spud when push comes to shove with the authorities in the events of accidents and the worker is the one that goes to jail and they are all blokes like me with families at home we are trying to provide for.

You may ask what does this argument have to do with the Union???? because when Union shop stewards are on site this does not happen and they stick up for the workers and make the bosses work safely and test and tag everything and take the responsibility of being pushed to work in an unsafe manner out of our hands and will close all tasks that are not being performed correctly and/or safely.

But it is easier walking past in the street and seeing what we are doing then come home and criticise the CFMEU and its members on public forums rather than actually understand why it is happening when you look from the outside and read/believe tabloid crap.

 

[JuddsABlue]

A big problem with the current work force is that the pie isn't hardly as big as employees think it is

People won't continue to be paid 100k+ a year as general workers, it's not feesable. Regardless of many times union members can throw around what's fair and use the family card people will work for less sooner or later

High wages are sending the company I work for broke, but the employees don't care. They think the bosses are spending their time on yachts drinking wine when the truth is they're working more hours and losing sleep at night trying to work out ways to pay the bills

The CEO if my company is on less than the union members and there's no magic bonuses either

 

[skilts]

You may ask what does this argument have to do with the Union???? because when Union shop stewards are on site this does not happen and they stick up for the workers and make the bosses work safely and test and tag everything and take the responsibility of being pushed to work in an unsafe manner out of our hands and will close all tasks that are not being performed correctly and/or safely.

But it is easier walking past in the street and seeing what we are doing then come home and criticise the CFMEU and its members on public forums rather than actually understand why it is happening when you look from the outside and read/believe tabloid crap.

See, this is the problem with unions. They continue to have unrealistic and unreasonable expectations that their members will return to their families at the end of a shift. Their attitude on this is sending the country broke and it must stop. The government should bring in police on horseback to enable Grollo to more easily kill people.

The reasons unions like the CFMEU have the attitudes they do are the conditions which existed in the building industry thirty years ago. I worked for many years in the quarrying industry which is arguably just as, if not more dangerous. In 15 years working in quarries, I knew personally and well, half a dozen co-workers who died. One died because he got hit in the head by a steam shovel. Another disappeared into a subsidence at a sandpit, along with his D9 dozer. Neither D9 nor operator have been seen since. Another fellow stopped operating the dozer he was using, stripping overburden at a quarry at Narre Warren, so he might have his lunch. He chose to lean his back against the track of his machine to do so. Unfortunately, a co-worker came along and because the keys had been left in the machine, started it up. You can imagine the rest. Another bloke walked out of the batching office of a concrete plant, slipped and fell in front of an oncoming agitator truck, causing instant death. He was a clerk FFS.

Like the building industry the quarrying industry is a much safer workplace now than ever before, but Daniel Grollo and his ilk aren't really concerned about worker safety. This is a battle of wills, in which Grollo is trying to prove to his 'hard nut' dad that the way Bruno dealt so successfully with the CFMEU over thirty years was 'soft'. He has adopted this absurd campaign since he took over the company. Where in the deals between unions and employers does it say that one party should be able to feed their neuroses at the cost of people's lives?

It should also be stated that I served as a shop steward on major Melbourne CBD construction sites, for twelve months. We never went on strike when I was in the job, and I bashed nobody, not even a rampaging police horse. I once suggested that the only way a certain employer could be brought into line about his dangerous work practices would be if we were to bring on a stop work. That ogre, Martin Kingham, said to me, "Oh no, the last thing we want is for our blokes not to be working. Let me have a word with him."

 

[Dazb86]

Isn't this really about Grollo wanting to hire cheap labour from interstate?

I've worked both sides of the fence. Union sites are 100000000x better money and conditions wise.

I did 6 years as a domestic painter and never got paid a cent of super or overtime/weekend rates. This is what would happen to all construction workers if there are no unions. Unions can take it a bit far with things like site allowance etc but they have the workers best intentions at heart.

 

[Miqar_Baqfhied]

Think there is a common stereotype attached with unions. Belligerant, bogan, aggressive, alcoholism and beer guts. When you have union leaders on tv looking disgraceful and burping out abuse that doesnt help the public image.

Its hard for the public to sympathise with them largely because of this I think.

If their arguments and grievances were presented more concisely and professionally as opposed to yelling, screaming, waving flags, chanting and having bbq's then surely this would have a greater effect in this day and age?

 

[Papa G]

Isn't this really about Grollo wanting to hire cheap labour from interstate?

I've worked both sides of the fence. Union sites are 100000000x better money and conditions wise.

I did 6 years as a domestic painter and never got paid a cent of super or overtime/weekend rates. This is what would happen to all construction workers if there are no unions. Unions can take it a bit far with things like site allowance etc but they have the workers best intentions at heart.

Just wondering how much cheaper this interstate labour is? Are workers from Qld, NSW, SA etc the equal of Mexicans to the great and noble Victorian Construction worker?

 

[Scotland]

]See, this is the problem with unions. They continue to have unrealistic and unreasonable expectations that their members will return to their families at the end of a shift. Their attitude on this is sending the country broke and it must stop. The government should bring in police on horseback to enable Grollo to more easily kill people.

The reasons unions like the CFMEU have the attitudes they do are the conditions which existed in the building industry thirty years ago...

...Like the building industry the quarrying industry is a much safer workplace now than ever before, but Daniel Grollo and his ilk aren't really concerned about worker safety

Times have changed. Attitudes developed thirty years ago aren't relevant today because conditions aren't the same as they were 30 years ago. There is an element in the union movement that carries on like the self proclaimed local legend that kicked the winning goal to win that game back in 1985 and expects lifetime free drinks because of it - despite acting like a ********.

The 40 hour week, holiday pay, sick pay - we get that we have the unions to thank for these things, but past good deeds don't equate to an eternal position of relevance and authority. Thirty years ago Aboriginal people had only recently been given the vote and capital punishment was still legal. Times change, societies progress. IR should not be separate from this.

The right to join a union should be no more or less protected than the right not to. Us and them mentalities and focusing on fighting for control rather than seeking to protect members invariably only leads do declined union membership and negative outcomes for workers...

 

[Scotland]

Just wondering how much cheaper this interstate labour is? Are workers from Qld, NSW, SA etc the equal of Mexicans to the great and noble Victorian Construction worker?

I don't know the figures, but providing they aren't paying below award wages what is the issue with using non union labour?

 

[Caesar]

Attitudes developed thirty years ago aren't relevant today because conditions aren't the same as they were 30 years ago.

It depends on the industry. In industries like construction, where the interests of workers are often very much at odds with the interests of employers because of stuff like safety, a strong union is absolutely relevant.

Unions aren't perfect but they are a necessary part of what is essentially a fundamentally adversarial IR system. It's a system that has worked extremely well in shaping the IR landscape in many, many countries and we would be foolish to think it is no longer relevant.

 

[skilts]

Times have changed. Attitudes developed thirty years ago aren't relevant today because conditions aren't the same as they were 30 years ago. There is an element in the union movement that carries on like the self proclaimed local legend that kicked the winning goal to win that game back in 1985 and expects lifetime free drinks because of it - despite acting like a ********.

The 40 hour week, holiday pay, sick pay - we get that we have the unions to thank for these things, but past good deeds don't equate to an eternal position of relevance and authority. Thirty years ago Aboriginal people had only recently been given the vote and capital punishment was still legal. Times change, societies progress. IR should not be separate from this.

The right to join a union should be no more or less protected than the right not to. Us and them mentalities and focusing on fighting for control rather than seeking to protect members invariably only leads do declined union membership and negative outcomes for workers...

The only reason times have changed is because of the efforts of the BLF, and latterly, the CFMEU. Attitudes however, on both sides, have hardly altered at all. Employers would never have brought about the changes to wages, conditions and safety of their own accord. They had to be, and still are, dragged kicking and screaming out of the Dickensian age. Occasionally, the employers attempt to turn back the clock to 30 years ago. It is just such attempt by Grollo that is currently being resisted.

The entirety of our industrial relations system is adversarial. Unless it is proven that a dispute exists, no arbitration is legally possible. Whether either side abides by such arbitration is another matter. I have no problem with people not wanting to join a union, as long as they are prepared to also forgo any benefits which might accrue to paid up members, as a result of their union's efforts.

 

[Miqar_Baqfhied]

I am a CFMEU member and have worked in commercial construction for over 8 years on a heap of jobs in Melbourne. There are a few issues that are causing this ruckus and the MAIN one is the fact that Grollo wants to bring in cheap labour from interstate who are not financial members so they can avoid paying the EBA rates to other workers who are union members and bear in mind that ALL of the major builders have signed the EBA by the way including Grollo.

Union organiser entry to site is also an issue as well as on site shop stewards but these issues are nothing new and only added fuel to the fire that started this picket line and eventually the union said enough is enough when Grollo wanted to run his sites without paying EBA rates by hiring cheap labour.

Until you have actually worked in the industry it is hard to understand just how important the union is to us members and the corporate bosses are more thuggish and bigger pricks than any union official will ever be but the papers don't like to report that stuff.

If Grollo gets away with paying non EBA rates and scab labour then Leightons , John Holland , Baulderstone and every other tom dick and harry will try it and it will kill the industry and workers way of lives with the corporate fat cats the only people making money and it is a big pie to share around and the workers deserve to be paid decent rates as well when they are doing all the hard work and Melbourne lead this country in construction safety and quality for a reason and the training and expertise the CFMEU bring is second to none.

The thing that the general public cant come to grips with is that the rates tradies are paid are from from decent. They are disgustingly excessive. There is no way an unqualified trades assistant should be on over $50 an hour for pushing a broom, then try to leach overtime, allowances etc for not doing a good enough job in the first place.

There are many professionals working in industries that make a difference to the community with more extensive qualifications to their name who earn a lot less money than these people, so asking these people to sympathise with unions and their seemingly petty arguments will never happen.