Victoria heads back to dark days of union thuggery under Brumby

John Brumby needs to take tough action against union intimidation and thuggery to stop Victoria sinking back into an industrial Dark Age of union militancy and disruption.

Melbourne’s train commuters have already suffered because of disputes between factions of the Rail Tram and Bus Union; now, the West Gate Bridge upgrade and anti-suicide safety barriers are being delayed because of action by the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).

“As Premier, John Brumby needs to publicly condemn violence and illegal conduct by unions, and ensure the law is enforced so that people can go about their lawful business,” Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Robert Clark said today.

“As the Parliamentary Leader of the Victorian Labor Party, John Brumby needs to take action within Labor to expel unions that persistently and flagrantly use violence and intimidation,” Mr Clark said.

“Before the 2007 federal election, Kevin Rudd made a big show of forcing unionist Dean Mighell out of the ALP, and John Brumby supported that expulsion.

“John Brumby now needs to show that the ALP is serious in disassociating itself from union intimidation and violence by moving against the CFMEU and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) for their violent picket lines on the West Gate Bridge safety barrier project.

“There have already been claims that Kevin Rudd secretly promised construction unions before the 2007 federal election that he would scrap the Howard Government laws that restored peace to building sites.

“It is now time for John Brumby to show whether Labor is prepared to act against union thuggery whenever it occurs, or whether Labor’s ‘tough on unions’ claims were just a pre-election charade.

“The violence at the West Gate Bridge site, including claims of bikie gang involvement, is just the latest example of the union militancy and coercion that has surged in Victoria since the election of the Rudd Government,” Mr Clark said.

Victorians have had to endure months of train delays and cancellations as part of a union campaign of disruption and coercion that led to Connex agreeing to a 15 per cent pay rise in an attempt to buy industrial peace.

There have been long-running pickets and confrontations on the Royal Children’s Hospital site as the CFMEU has tried to resist the introduction of swipe cards for site access, including allegations of a serious assault against an Australian Building and Construction Commission inspector, and a further confrontation on a Carlton building site leading to charges being laid.

“This return to union militancy will deter employment and investment and cost more Victorian jobs, both for union members and for other workers, at a time when John Brumby should be encouraging employers to hire more Victorians,” Mr Clark said.