CFMEU Worker Summer 2014

VOLUME 20 NO.3 Âť SUMMER 2014

Time to go get stuffed Napthine!

21

Journal of the CFMEU Victorian and Tasmanian Branch, Construction & General Division

THIS ISSUE CFMEU IN THE COMMUNITY

10

PRODUCTIVITY FACTS

20

SUPPORT THE WA 76

Revered BLF leader Norm Wallace talks about how the building industry was won, and lost, and the lessons for today’s unionists. See page 21.

9

03-07 EXECUTIVE COLUMNS 08

Feature article

Election result: it woz the unions wot wunnit!

11 Comprehensive Royal Commission coverage begins

16

24-25 KIDS ART COMPETITION

18

26-27 HOORAY FOR PICNIC DAY 30

ONSITE COVERAGE STARTS

33

SLATER AND GORDON

CFMEU national round up

Geelong’s Ice Fight

28

34 CONCRETE GANG’S SCALLYWAG OF THE YEAR AWARD

38

43-43 ORGANISER PROFILES Summer fun guide: BBQing and safe drinking

50-51 WAGES

Eureka Rebellion 160th anniversary

CFMEU Victorian and Tasmanian Branch, Construction & General Division Executive Secretary John Setka Assistant Secretaries Shaun Reardon Elias Spernovasilis President Ralph Edwards Senior Vice President Noel Washington

CFMEU 36373

Vice President Derek Christopher

Organisers and Specialist Staff Field Officers Gerry Benstead Nigel Davies John Duggan Paul Edwards Colin Flanagan Robert Graauwmans Steve Long Ian Markham Brendan Murphy Malcolm Smith Billy Beattie Gareth Stephenson Paul Sullivan Mark Tait (Fozzie) Theo Theodorou Mark Travers John Ayers Mick Powell Drew McDonald Adam Hall Toby Thornton Mark McMillan (EBAs) Joe Myles John Perkovic Peter Booth Richie Hassett

Publicity Officer Dan Murphy Wage Claims Officer Frank Akbari Training Unit Coordinator Anne Duggan Teachers and Trainers Karen Odermatt Mark Devereaux Jackie Gamble Barry Kearney Jennifer Pignataro Rose Nechwatel Connie Hall Paul Allwood Chris Rees Sue Bull Lorella DiPietro Kimberley Stewart Tony Minchin Andy Duff Dan Phelan

OFFICES Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety Unit Manager Gerry Ayers Safety Officers Alex Tadic Christine Thomas Peter Clark Steve Roach WorkCover Legal Officer Neil Browne Industrial/Legal Officers Amanda Swayn Jean Maloney Apprentice Liaison Officer Liam O’Hearn Research & Campaigns Officer Clancy Dobbyn

Melbourne 500 Swanston St Carlton South 3053 T: (03) 9341 3444 F: (03) 9341 3427 Morwell Wing 5, Lignite Court Morwell 3840 T: (03) 5134 3311 F: (03) 5133 7058 Geelong 78 Fyans St Geelong Sth 3220 T: (03) 5229 8921 F: (03) 5223 1845 Bendigo Bendigo TLC 40 View St Bendigo 3550 T: (03) 5443 5173 F: (03) 5442 5961

Wodonga Shop 3-4, 22 Stanley St Wodonga 3690 T: (02) 6024 1099 F: (02) 6056 5565 Portland South West TLC 31 Percy St Portland 3305 T: (03) 5523 4272 F: (03) 5523 3358 Hobart 33A New Town Rd New Town 7008 T: (03) 6228 9595 F: (03) 6228 9594

cfmeuvic.com.au

FROM THE SECRETARY

THEY THREW EVERYTHING AT US John Setka Branch Secretary

2014 will go down in history as the year the CFMEU was attacked by everything the state and federal Liberals could throw at us.

A

ttacks on me, attacks on our officials and delegates by Napthine and Abbott and their cheer squad at the Herald Sun, a Royal Commission, a joint state and federal police taskforce, calls for deregistration and daily charges brought against us by Nigel Hadgkiss at the Fair Work Building Commission are just some of what we have had to endure.

But the fall of the Liberal Government showed that it’s not working.

Failed Napthine has no one but himself to blame.

His government did nothing. They had no vision or plan for Victoria. They cut funding to essential services, decimated the TAFE sector and abandoned workers whose jobs disappeared as the Federal Government deserted the industries that have been the lifeblood of this state.

The Liberals knew this. They knew that the community had turned their backs on them. They mistakenly thought that their

anti-union and anti-worker crusade would win back the votes of those people through fear.

conditions. They should know. Their sector is one where workers struggle to get a secure full-time job.

Haters

We will continue to campaign hard on all the issues that are important to us whoever is in power, but a government whose priorities are education, health and jobs, rather than attacking unions might be a welcome relief for the Victorian people.

It didn’t work. They stuffed it up badly, but it’s worth asking why they launched this full-scale attack on the CFMEU.

The fall of the Liberal Government in Victoria means we can end the year with some optimism.

It’s because they hate us and they hate us for a reason. Because their friends are the employers. And we protect workers by holding big business to account over pay, conditions and safety. We are what stands in the way of employers ripping off workers and cutting corners.

457 visas We make no apologies for being tough and strong. It’s worth noting that workers in other industries make contact to offer us praise and support. IT workers often tell us that the union’s stance on 457 visas is crucial if we are to maintain our pay and

And perhaps Liberal politicians can reflect that their hatred of the CFMEU is not the vote winner they thought it would be.

Perhaps they have realised that people are not that easily duped.

I want to thank all staff, delegates and members for your hard work and support which give me encouragement each day.

Enjoy your break and let’s look forward to 2015 with hope and confidence.

88 The Liberals’ attempt to save themselves by running a CFMEU scare campaign bombed.

Season's Greetings The CFMEU wishes all members and their families a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The CFMEU office closes on Tuesday 23 December and reopens on Wednesday 7 January 2015.

SUMMER 2015

CFMEU WORKER

03

IS THIS JUSTICE!

WHAT'S A LIFE WORTH? 88 28 march 2013

Bridget Jones

Grocon fined just $250,000 over deadly Swanston St wall collapse

Alexander Jones

Marie-Faith Fiawoo

ar!

Social media in upro

The CFMEU has already been fined $1,250,000 over the dispute to have genuine safety reps recognised on Grocon sites

04

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

NO JUSTICE FOR GROCON BUT WE WILL FIGHT ON Shaun Reardon Assistant Secretary

I know that I was not alone in my feelings of shock and deep disappointment when Grocon was fined a paltry $250,000 after pleading guilty to its role in the deaths of three young people.

I

know that the majority of people shook their heads in disgust that a major corporation like Grocon got away with just a slap on the wrist after their failure to ensure workplace safety.

Justice?

I also know that, like me, people are asking what kind of justice system fines the CFMEU over $1 million for protesting against Grocon over safety, but considers the lives of three people of much less value.

It is a question that we are all entitled to ask. And I, for one, will keep asking it and keep fighting for safety. Because so many of us were personally touched by this tragedy.

Haunted Our officials are all too aware of the dangers faced by construction workers everyday, but the deaths of Bridget, Alexander and Marie-Faith were particularly traumatic. Along with other officials from the union, I was one of the first on the scene last year and images from that day will never leave me.

As a father, I can’t begin to imagine the trauma and grief experienced by the families. Having spent time with Bridget

and Alexander’s parents, I know they will never recover from their loss.

Silence The silence of the Abbott Government, which still embraces Daniel Grollo as a member of its Business Advisory Council, over Grocon's measly punishment is a blatant reminder of whose side the Liberal politicians are on.

When we fight to protect the safety of building workers and the public, Liberal politicians call for our deregistration and the full force of the state is brought down on us.

But throughout this terrible ordeal of lives lost, there was not one word from them about the actions of the company.

Stay up-to-date and join in the conversation on

facebook.com/ cfmeuvic youtube.com/ cfmeuvic twitter.com/ cfmeujohnsetka

cfmeuvic.com.au

Disgraceful As the families and the Victorian community were coming to terms with the injustice of the fine, we discover that Daniel Grollo’s wife is suggesting the wall collapse was due to sabotage. I don’t know what words to use to talk about the inhumanity of this act; of rubbing salt into the wounds of the devastated families.

But I do know this. We are no longer alone.

The community understands and supports our determination to fight for safety.

On our Facebook page, someone commented that the fine handed to Grocon was a message to all employers to take as many shortcuts as they can. My message to all those employers is this: we will do everything we can to protect the lives of our members and the public.

People depend on us to do so, and we will not let them down.

Disgraceful insult.

As Grocon prepared to plead guilty, Kat Grollo used Twitter to suggest sinister forces were behind the wall collapse, not her husband’s company’s incompetence.

STAY IN TOUCH

Paul hangs up After 16 years on the union’s frontline, counter organiser Paul Sullivan has retired.

While he won’t miss having a phone glued to his ear, Paul says the good outweighed the bad, particularly the great people he got to meet.

A rigger by trade, Paul arrived here from Wales in 1965. He worked on the West Gate Bridge when it reopened after the 1970 tragedy.

A keen observer of the political scene, Paul’s parting advice to members is to keep their bullshit detectors switched on: ‘I hope the members stick together and don’t get sucked in by all the rubbish that’s written about the union.’

Good luck mate!

CFMEU WORKER

05

PROPAGANDA, LIES AND BULLSHIT – TELL THE TRUTH, TONY Ralph Edwards President

Code and ABCC held up Last issue we reported on Abbott’s planned construction code.

This will mean government-funded construction jobs will only go to companies that sign up to the Liberals anti-union drive.

They want to:  Trash the industry RDO calendar  Ban union meetings  Outlaw union stickers  Get rid of EBA limits on labour hire and 457 visas, and much more.

The code is contained in the same Bill that seeks to bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission with more powers to fine and jail workers This Bill is the most extreme anti-worker legislation ever seen in Australia.

Blocked The good news is that with Abbott on the nose, hardly any of the independent Senators want to back him.

Jacquie Lambie and Ricky Muir have shown they won’t be bullied into giving the Liberals and big business whatever they want. With Labor and the Greens solidly opposed, the Bill is sitting in a draw at Parliament House.

The CFMEU is lobbying all Senators to reject Abbott’s Construction Industry Bill if he tries to bring it on for a vote.

Support these efforts by signing the petition at

standupspeakoutcomehome.org.au

Politicians, bosses and so-called industry leaders attack us in the media and never let the facts get in the way of a good story. You would think we did nothing at work, got paid $10,000 a week for just turning up, and every second day was an RDO.

I

n fact, a lot of work gets done every day

by CFMEU members all over Victoria.

So how do we match up in terms of productivity? Put it another way, is the boss making a quid?

Older blokes can tell you that 20 years ago a 12-storey job took twice as long and twice as many blokes. But does the evidence support the stories? A lot is said about our industry being unproductive – usually for political reasons.

We now have evidence that more than supports these blokes' stories.

False claim In Victoria, the Building Industry Consultative Council has produced regular data, but its last major report was in 2003. Our mates at the ABCC produced a so-called report in which they claimed to have increased productivity by attacking the union. This claim was rejected outright by retired judge Murray Wilcox in his 2010 review of the ABCC. So it is with much thanks to the ETU that a contemporary and relevant report has been produced by The Australia Institute. This is a serious effort to review industry productivity and how much it has improved since the 1990s.

Growth Construction produced total income of $327 billion in 2012-13 or 21% of gross national product (GDP). Compared to 1994-95 this means not only a big increase in total production, but a 47% increase in labour productivity. This compares favourably

with any other sector and to labour productivity overall, with commercial building construction alone up 36.3%, or 6.38% per annum.

The Business Council of Australia says our industry is ‘high cost... low labour productivity compared to other nations.’

Yet information from the Australian Government suggests that our labour productivity is twice that of the United States.

Why would the Abbott Government let this material get in the way of their anti-union story? Better to cover it up and let the antiunion propaganda run in the media.

Distraction The Government’s own Productivity Commission stated earlier this year, ‘Unconvincing evidence of large industrial relations effects may also distract policymakers from other factors important for productivity in the construction industry.’ In other words, focus on things that make a difference to productivity, not union bashing’.

20 years ago a 12-storey job took twice as long.

So let me suggest we have nothing to be ashamed of with our productivity, while bosses have nothing to complain about with their profitability.

Tell your mates I think we can all work out the story: the Abbott Government is anti-union and will not let the facts get in the way of their CFMEU bashing.

The real story will not be told by the government, bosses or the media. This is a job that must be done by the union and its members talking to their family, friends and neighbours.

Tell the world about the industry and tell them to look at how fast jobs go up.

88 See page 10 for more info

Stand up. Speak out. Come home.

06

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

LEND LEASE ON WRONG ROAD

WA CFMEU Organiser Pearce Naughton spent two weeks in Melbourne in November learning the ropes.

Elias Spernovasilis Assistant Secretary

It is clear from a spate of major incidents on Lend Lease sites, and their attitude towards the CFMEU, that the company is sucking up to the Abbott Government and doing their dirty work for them.

He got out on plenty of sites, always seeming to time his visits with those of our photographer. site. Do they think that by adopting the government’s agenda and going to war on us, they’re going to solve their problems?

If they do, they are mistaken.

By rejecting a cooperative approach with the union, they are causing anger and mistrust among the very workers they rely on to build their projects.

It’s bad enough that this is happening, but what’s worse is that the company is playing hardball when it comes to our organisers going on site to protect members from the problems created by Lend Lease’s lax attitude to safety.

Their woeful mismanagement is evident from their focus on preventing organisers from getting on site rather than on the well-being of their workers. Not only is their workers’ safety not a priority, they also want to stop us from doing our job.

Workers know from firsthand experience that Lend Lease does not care about their safety. They see union officials – the people who they pay to look after them – fighting to get on site and stopped from doing their job.

Call the cops

I ask Lend Lease one question: is this the kind of relationship you want with your workers?

T

Hardball

Is this the best they can do? With their highly paid salaries and all the skills and education they have accumulated, a Lend Lease manager’s job is now to call the police when a union organiser arrives on

See how many times you can spy Pearce in this issue.

5 – not trying 6 – not bad 7 – well spotted

Answers on Page 34

Hopeless And why should their workers trust them? After all, this is the company whose managers tried to stop workers from evacuating when a crane caught fire and collapsed. This is the company that could not account for workers when another fire broke out on the massive Barangaroo site in Sydney. When the CFMEU criticised Lend Lease's evacuation plan as inadequate, we were ignored by their management.

hese incidents include cranes catching fire and workers falling from heights.

WHERE’S PEARCE?

Because we won’t back down from looking after our members, and they know that. It might be good if you learned it too.

Ice bucket kibble challenge Elias went under a kibble full of icy water on October 31 at Multiplex’s 735 Collins Street site, Docklands. All for a good cause, and all done under controlled and safe conditions.

Led by Shop Steward George Bollas, the site raised $18,000 to help find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease.

88 LEFT: Elias gets a soaking, RIGHT: from left, Deputy Steward Paolo Giumarra, CFMEU Secretary John Setka, Elias Spernovasilis, ETU Rep Jason Lynn and site Shop Steward George Bollas.

CFMEU WORKER

07

CFMEU COMMUNITY

End violence against women The CFMEU is flying the flag for the White Ribbon Campaign to end violence against women.

CFMEU leaders are passionate about this issue. The union will continue to support White Ribbon events and encourage our members to be leaders in the prevention of violence against women, based on the understanding that most men are not violent.

More information: www.whiteribbon.org.au

88 Pictured are members on Hickory’s 568 Collins Street site, where the White Ribbon flag flew alongside ours on November 25.

88 CFMEU officials attended the official White Ribbon function at Melbourne Town Hall on November 25. Pictured are, from left, Emily Holm, Elias Spernovasilis, Andrea Grivas, John Setka, Nicki Makris, and Shaun Reardon.

Helping Kids Brendan Murphy presents a cheque for $1,000 to Bell Park North Primary School in Geelong.

The money, raised through collections on local sites, will help maintain the school’s breakfast program. This provides a morning feed to kids who would otherwise turn up hungry, making it hard for them to concentrate in class.

08

Get well Mills Members have rallied around Milan ‘Mills’ Kutlesa after he suffered a stroke in November.

Since taking ill, the well-liked shop steward’s condition has improved. Friends

CFMEU WORKER

of Mills, along with the CFMEU, are making sure his family get all the support they need.

88 Mills’s comrades on Hutchinson’s Carlson site, La Trobe Street, show their support.

SUMMER 2015

LIBERALS DEFEATED

A failure of union bashing This election was fought and won on CFMEU issues.

T

his election was about jobs, education and ensuring our kids have a future with opportunities.

The CFMEU was targeted by the Napthine Government because they had nothing positive to talk about.

The pathological hatred the Liberals have for unions takes on its most frenzied tone when they talk about the CFMEU. They convinced themselves that the general public shared their views.

They invested millions on TV, radio and print ads while their mates at the Herald Sun rolled out the same rubbish day after day. In doing so, the Liberals lost the election and the Herald Sun simply lost more credibility.

In the end, CFMEU members and the general public showed that they didn’t buy the lies.

Unity

Strike back

The CFMEU has never been so united.

All branches of the unions, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy, are committed to a national political strategy to get rid of Abbott and his anti-worker foot soldiers.

The CFMEU is standing up and fighting back. They threw all they could at us, but we hit them where it hurts most – at the ballot box.

At the April National Executive it was agreed that to get rid of Abbott, all branches and divisions of the union needed to be pushing in the same direction.

Our campaign to get rid of the Napthine Government was the first stage in this strategy.

Members in all marginal seats were contacted and talked to about the need to put the Liberals last. As one of the biggest unions in Victoria, we have thousands of members across marginal seats. When, in the case of some electorates, the seat is decided by less than 100 votes, it’s clear that the CFMEU has the power to change the outcome.

The Liberals and their mates at the big end of town know that they can’t beat us industrially. That is why they’re coming after us politically and that is why we’re fighting them on that front.

There is a much greater challenge now: to get rid of Tony Abbott and his rich mates.

This is a challenge for the whole CFMEU membership. We showed that when provoked, we will strike back. But the real threat to our wages and conditions comes from the Federal Liberal Government.

They have been clear that they’re out to destroy us. We’re now organised and focused and ready for the political fight. The day-to-day battles that we face on the job will go on, but the campaign to beat our political enemies will be waged just as fiercely.

Labor promises A nti-union construction code to be abolished A pprentices to make up 10% of construction workforce on major government jobs  Half-price

car rego for apprentices  Establish 10 tech schools  Make Grand Final Friday a public holiday.

88 Kiss of

death.

tivists 88 Union ac al role ci u cr a played g the Libs. in defeatin

SUMMER 2015

CFMEU WORKER

09

THE NUMBERS DONT LIE

PRODUCING THE GOODS

Australian construction workers are boosting productivity, but the benefits are flowing to bosses.

That’s the conclusion of a study carried out by The Australia Institute for the ETU.

The research revealed: Construction generates 21% of all Australia’s wealth

What they don't ! w o n k o t u o y t n wa %

PRODUCTIVITY UP 46%

160

Construction employs 9.87% of workers

140 120 100 1994

2013

%

Our productivity is about average compared to other industries

$80k

30 25 20

$600k $100k

PROFITS UP...

35

$$ generated per hour

$60k

1989

2013

%

...WAGES DOWN

80

$40k $20k

78

$0k

76

Union bashers like to run our industry down, saying it is unproductive and the CFMEU is to blame. These figures expose that claim as rubbish.

To read the study, go to www.tai.org.au

74 72 70 68

Labor share of value added in construction (%)

66 1989

2013

Source: The Australia Institute, August 2014: Productivity in the Construction Industry.

010

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

ROYAL COMMISSION

Already chewed up

 awyer‘s ke l n o i s s i m Com s read li n o i t a d n e recomm ty wish list Liberal Par d up before e p p a r w e v a h ded it n e Should t x e s a h t t o b Ab Christmas but p the union bashing going one year to kee



$5 3 MILLION with more t

o come



Not a political winner for the Liberals; public not interested



Whitewash, no surprise The CFMEU never expected fair treatment by the Royal Commission and the report issued by Senior Assisting Counsel Jeremey Stoljar, at the end of October, did nothing to change our mind.

C

FMEU Victoria Secretary John Setka says Stoljar’s recommendations reflect the predetermined outcomes required by those who set the inquiry up.

‘Stoljar rejects almost every piece of evidence brought by the union, and accepts nearly every allegation against us, regardless of who made it and how unsubstantiated it might be.’

‘His report is riddled with baseless findings of unlawful conduct against union officials, including those who were never called to answer allegations against them.’

 Unquestioning reliance on anyone who has a complaint against the CFMEU.

In its submission, the CFMEU criticises the Commission’s failure to properly test evidence, or call witnesses who might contradict the predetermined outcomes.

 Failure to allow unions timely or reasonable access to documents used in evidence against it.  Sweeping conclusions based on selective evidence from selected witnesses.

The Commission now admits the most serious allegations that CFMEUofficials had sought or received bribes in NSW, Queensland, and Victoria are unsubstantiated.

The union identified serious flaws including:  The Commission overreaching its investigative powers in finding union officials guilty of breaches of civil and criminal law.

His report is riddled with baseless findings.

The CFMEU’s submission also pointed to the evidence of Victoria Assistant Police Commissioner Stephen Fontana, who was forced to apologise under cross examination.

 Suggestions that charges be laid against individuals, based on insufficient or no evidence.

He conceded his ‘intelligence’ that CFMEU officials are bikie gang members and involved in serious crime was wrong, and admitted he had not sought assistance from the union in his investigations, despite the union pledging cooperation.

 Reliance on witnesses who lacked credibility or gave hearsay testimony.

g Counsel Jeremey

88 Senior Assistin

Stoljar

011

Snapshot of CFMEU submissions to the Royal Commission 3 An dr ew Za f 2 Pe ntr idg e Vil lag e sit e

1 B o ra l

e made wild CEO Mike Kan t a CFMEU-led ou ab allegations nst his company conspiracy agai

We say: n’s top lawyer The Commissio that ‘a good Stoljar concedes ven by Boral gi deal of evidence ay’. rs witnesses is hea

15athwsorksinplacec2e004 de

Developers, Peter and Leigh Chiavaroli, complained about hav ing to comply with industry standard safety and working conditions following a fatal accident

We say: Stoljar’s core findings against CFMEU officials and shop stewards cannot be sustained as there is insufficient evidence.

Leigh Chiavaroli admitted being wrong in parts of his statement.

4 Bu ild ing Ind ust ry 20 00 fighting fund

The commission attacked the leaders maintained by Victorian CFMEU We say:

ning and operates in a The fund is well-known, long-run estion any of the directors transparent manner. There is no sugg ding Industry 2000.

Buil of have profited from the activities how directors breached Counsel Assisting failed to explain their fiduciary or statutory duties.

Lis-Con exposed da n i k ss! y M bo

sed Serial bankrupt accu rrupt co CFMEU officials of s activity in 1990

We say: t important Zaf was wrong abou count. ac n matters in his ow mends that m co re Stoljar himself nature of due to the historical

by Zaf and the allegations made adverse no the lack of evidence, e. ad findings should be m allegations In other words, Zaf’s t had no credibility bu rm fo at pl a en giv s he wa .

EU to smear the CFM .

14 ge pa More on Zaf

5 De ali ngs wit h Ge org e Alex com pan ies

Media stories accused NSW CFM EU Secretary Brian Parker and organiser Darren Greenfield of imp roper dealings with labour hire boss George Alex.

In the words of Commission lawy er Stoljar: ‘The material gathered so far does not indicate that Parker or Greenfield received indu cements or rewards and thereby committed criminal offences.’

Translation: The accusers had noth ing to back their stories but we let them dirty the name of CFMEU officials.

A former employee gave evidence that:  The majority of Lis-Con employees are Irishmen on working holiday (backpacker) visas who are told to get an ABN.  Lis-Con moved workers around the country at a day’s notice, charging them $100 a week to share cramped, unhygienic living quarters with 10 other people.  Workers regularly had their pay packets skimmed between $200-$500 and received no payslips.

 Lis-Con engaged in systematic immigration fraud, arranging for travelers to get 457 visas through a shonky agent and encouraging them to lie about their qualifications and experience.  The Royal Commission heard that Lis-Con regularly failed to pay workers’ superannuation entitlements. In 2011, the company was chased by the Queensland Government for $5.2 million in unpaid payroll tax.

Eoin O’Neill, owner of civil construction contractor Liscon, was one of the Royal Commission’s star witnesses.

O’Neill has been undercutting our employment standards and rorting our tax and immigration laws for years according to evidence given to the Royal Commission. He has done this while working on some of the country’s largest civil projects, funded by Australian taxpayers.

012

The Commission copped out of looking into these damning revelations, claiming they fell outside its terms of reference.

CFMEU WORKER 88 Eoin O’Neill.

The truth is O’Neill is the sort of grubby boss Abbott’s anti-union drive is designed to promote.

SUMMER 2015

FONTANA POLICE DEMOCRACY INTELLIGENCE UNDERFAILURE THREAT

SAYS SORRY Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana was embarrassed in the witness box.

F

ontana politicised his position by volunteering to appear at the Royal Commission. As part of his evidence, he called for police to decide who can be a union official through a ‘fit and proper person’ test.

Things went pear-shaped for Fontana when the CFMEU’s barrister, John Agius challenged him.

Fontana claimed that the industry was plagued by criminal activity related to the CFMEU, before he was forced to concede that no Union official had ever been charged with a serious offence.

members of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

Fontana: Not to my knowledge.

Agius: Thank you.

By tying himself to political attacks on the CFMEU, Fontana showed that he is not ‘fit and proper’ to hold the number two position in Victoria Police.

UT CHECK ITphenO Fontana’s Ste backflip can be viewed at our YouTube channel:

It got worse.

Agius: You said there were Union officials who were members of outlaw motorcycle gangs?

Fontana: Yes.

VIC

YouTube.com/CFMEU

Agius: Who are they?

Fontana: From my knowledge, Normie Meyers… (long pause) Agius: Is that it? You said officials. What is your knowledge that Mr Meyer is a Union official?

Fontana: Umm… My knowledge is he holds an efficient…Umm… A umm…position within the Union.

Before the Liberals made him the state’s second-top cop, Fontana’s main claim to fame was driving former Commissioner Christine Nixon to dinner at a pos h restaurant while Victoria burned on Black Saturday.

Agius: Would it surprise you to know that Mr Meyer is a member of the Union but not an official?

Fontana: I’ve got that wrong, I apologise.

Agius: So there’s no intelligence or evidence that officials of the CFMEU are

SUMMER 2015

Incredibly, Fontana's hopeless 'evidence' was used by Abbott to justify another police taskforce targeting the CFMEU.

CFMEU WORKER

013

2015 DESAL IN THE DOCK? Since the Liberals announced the Royal Commission crowd would get another year on the gravy train, they have been scratching around for something to investigate.

Word is they are going to look into ‘rorts’ during the building of the desal plant.

According to most who worked down there, any investigation should start with the site office and some of the contracts that were given out. We won’t hold our breath.

The biggest scandal during the job was of course, Thiess using notorious scab herder and convicted criminal Bruce Townsend as a spy. He was given personal details

of 1000s of workers in one of the worst privacy breaches ever seen in Victoria.

What’s the bet that they come up with some lame excuse to not investigate the spy scandal?

88 Desal workers donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to worthy local causes, like this new wheelchair for Kylie Dediri.

There is word the commission will try to smear the site’s community support fund, which raised $650,000 for worthy causes.

Should this be the case, two things are certain: a) They won’t find any wrongdoing b) They will play down the great fundraising effort.

The work of people like shop steward Ilija Crnac was outstanding. The Wonthaggi community know the truth about how much was put into the local area – and are immensely grateful.

Did you work on the desal plant?

Read the notice on p.34

How’s Zaf for shonky?

Royal Commission star witness stabbed himself and dumped asbestos illegally, according to business partner.

B

 Flash cars that Zaf claimed were given to union officials are rusting on his mate’s property at Eltham

Now a former business associate of Zaf alleges the serial bankrupt told him he made up the corruption story and engaged in acts of self-harm to win media coverage.

Gary Cheetham fell out with Zaf in July when he refused to go along with an illegal asbestos dumping operation.

According to emails seen by the CFMEU, Zaf disposed of 1800 cubic metres of asbestos-contaminated material in a field at Mernda.

ack in January, Andrew Zaf’s corruption allegations were used to justify calling the Royal Commission.

Zaf’s claim that he was later bashed and stabbed in his driveway was given serious attention by Commissioner Dyson Heydon.

 Zaf stabbed himself in the arm and leg and smeared blood over the tray of his ute before calling Heidelberg Police to falsely report that he had been attacked

In a series of emails sent to Victoria Police, the EPA and other authorities Cheetham alleges:  Zaf admitted his story that he gave CFMEU Secretary John Setka a free roof in the 1990s was a lie

014

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

CFMEU TRAINING UNIT

CFMEU TRAINING What's new in 2015?

Tribute

Wanna be a carpenter?

Lisa Cruickshank Strong, militant defender of trade union rights

New carpentry pre-apprenticeship program

T

he CFMEU is recruiting now for a February 2015 start. This is a fantastic opportunity to get a taste for the industry and ideal preparation for a career in construction.

How long?

16 weeks full-time.

Where ?

At the CFMEU’s state-of-the art training facilities in Port Melbourne with some

IMPORTANT Unique Student Identifier (USI) Changes to training regulations from January 2015 will affect you – whether you’re doing a course with the CFMEU or any other provider.

The main government initiative you need to know about is the introduction of the Unique Student Identifier (USI).

What is the USI? From 1 January 2015, every student will need a USI when undertaking nationally accredited courses.

This is a 10-digit number that will become your student number. You’ll need to produce it when you are enrolling in training. Your USI will provide a means by which you can access your training records from a central register.

Your USI will be your student number for all training at the CFMEU or elsewhere.

project work done on commercial sites.

What next?

On completion you’ll be able to join the CFMEU’s apprenticeship program and become a fully qualified carpenter.

Who? If you or someone you know would like to enrol, call the CFMEU's Apprenticeships Officer Liam O’Hearn on 0425 792 522.

How do I get my USI? You can apply for your USI now. Just visit usi.gov.au/create-your-USI/Pages/default. aspx The process is simple and your USI should be generated instantly. All you’ll need is a form of identification such as:  your driver’s licence  Medicare card  an Australian passport.

The CFMEU can create a USI on your behalf so long as you give permission.

You can arrange this with the CFMEU Education and Training Unit next time you enrol in a course.

Now available

Updated Course Pathways Guide

Discover the tickets you need to have the career you want.

www.cfmeuvic.com.au/training

A

BLF stalwart, committed feminist, student activist and staunch defender of workers rights, Lisa Cruickshank passed away on 2 November.

She worked her way up the ranks from President of Swinburne's Student Union to working on building sites as a member of the Builders Labourers Federation. In a male-dominated industry where the ceilings are more concrete than glass, Lisa did a lot of hard yards.

Her commitment and expertise were recognised by the CFMEU, where she worked for many years in the OH&S unit alongside Pat Preston.

Lisa served as Chairperson and President of community radio station 3CR, where she also presented the Left after Breakfast program with Susan Duffy and Denis Evans. Her willingness to attend to the mundane but necessary tasks around the station kept 3CR on air.

Lisa will be remembered as a single mother who provided for her family against the odds. She will be sadly missed by family and comrades, especially her young daughter Holly who, in true Cruickshank tradition, was holding her mum’s hand when Lisa left us.

I am sure I speak for all Lisa’s friends in saying that we will remember her for her courage in defence of working men and women and her commitment to the real trade union movement.

If there was a God I'm sure that he/she would throw open the pearly gates and shout, ‘Welcome Lisa, you have done your penance on earth!’

Denis Evans

CFMEU WORKER

015

CFMEU STRONG & UNITED

STRONG &

WA

SA

88 Pearce Naughton

88 Esther Van Arend

Non-union sector must be organised

ABCC all over Adelaide

New WA Branch Organiser Pearce Naughton says that the biggest issue facing the Union in the West is nonEBA builders grabbing an increasing share of work.

‘It means that companies without EBAs are able to price jobs a lot cheaper and beat our companies on important work. We’re seeing companies that have just come into the industry paying backpackers 22 bucks an hour and skimping on safety – and we’ve got members sitting at home.’

Working towards industry-wide pattern bargain in next EBA

To address this lousy situation, the Branch has taken the courageous step of asking highly paid Union members with Tier One builders to accept wage restraint, or even reductions, over the course of the next EBA, to help achieve a pattern agreement that will cover the whole WA construction industry.

016

In tough times, the CFMEU continues to build national unity across all Divisions and States.

During November, new construction organisers from around the country undertook training in Melbourne. We spoke to some of our interstate comrades to get an idea of the challenges they face.

‘Nigel Who?’ was the reaction of most people when ABCC/FWBC boss Nigel Hadgkiss appeared on Adelaide TV recently and absurdly declared their town as ‘the worst place in Australia for building industry thuggery and corruption’, says organiser, Esther Van Arend.

‘In one way, it’s good that people don’t pay attention to what he says, because it’s a load of rubbish. But on the other hand, you realise there’s a lot of people who don’t realise what’s going on.’

SA Branch inspired by grassroots network of Vic shop stewards

Esther, who has plenty of experience on the tools as a rigger and scaffolder, says that the SA Branch has been inspired by Victoria’s shop stewards network.

‘We need to get more on the front foot with our delegates and HSR structures: working from the ground up, educating, and getting the young fellas and women involved,’ she reckons.

CFMEU WORKER

In recent years, a more militant approach has seen the Branch win some important blues and increase our Queensland membership to almost 20,000.

SUMMER 2015

STRONG & UNITED

QLD

BLF AND NT MERGER MAKES CFMEU STRONGER The merger of the formerly separate Queensland CFMEU and BLF unions, along with the Northern Territory branch, has created a stronger, more effective fighting unit, according to Assistant Secretary Jade Ingham.

Breakthrough on rosters at Gladstone gas plant project 88 CFMEU QLD/NT Assistant Secretary Jade Ingham

In recent years, a more militant approach has seen the branch win some important blues and increase membership to nearly 20,000. In August this year, the CFMEU led a landmark dispute on the Curtis Island LNG project in Gladstone, demanding more family-friendly rosters.

Although the AWU helped US construction company Bechtel get up an EBA that defers improvements to 2016, the blue is widely seen as a gamechanger for rostering on fly-in, fly-out sites. It has also recast the industrial relations battlefield in Queensland’s massive resources industry where, as Jade explains, CFMEU members have long had to fight for their right to be represented.

Companies committed union busters ‘It’s is an industry where employers have a choice of who they do greenfields agreements with – and very rarely do the CFMEU get invited to take part,’ explains Jade. ‘They attempt to lock us out, but we’ve got a membership that’s pretty tribal and gravitate towards our way of doing

Doing the hard yards His first three months organising in Sydney’s ‘wild west’ have been an eyeopener for, Ben Garvey.

‘A lot of physical confrontation occurs – and that’s just trying to get onto sites,’ he says. ‘Not all of the time, but it’s there.

Focusing on safety to win over nonmembers

Organising construction has never been a job for the faint-hearted, but Western Sydney is some of the toughest terrain in the country for Union officials. Ben says that the NSW Branch is trying to turn things around by focusing on safety.

business. There’s a culture on resource jobs of rank and file trade unionism and workers being willing to stand up and have a go.’

Members and officials also have to contend with union busting tactics that companies like Bechtel have honed over many years.

‘When the dispute on Curtis Island was approaching, the flood of company propaganda that went out was extraordinary,’’ says Jade.

‘On one day alone, workers received three different company bulletins in the sheds. It was all fear-mongering, saying “if you vote to strike, you’ll undermine your job security or be taking unprotected industrial action’’.’

Goodbye Newman?

Jade adds that another challenge is the anti-union drive of extreme rightwing Liberal National Party Premier Campbell Newman.

‘They’ve forced union officials to give 24-hours notice before going on any job, even if there’s an imminent risk to health and safety – and employed 40 excoppers to police it.

‘Since they removed the right of HSRs to direct work to cease six months ago, there’s been five deaths in construction in Queensland. That’s blood on the hands of Newman and Jarrod Bleijie, the Attorney General.’

N SW

‘Then, on the job, we are dealing with a lot of non-EBA companies and guys who aren’t members. Things are a bit out of control.’

88 Ben Garvey

SUMMER 2015

CFMEU WORKER

017

GEELONG'S ICE FIGHT

CFMEU SUPPORTING GEELONG’S

IN BRIEF  The CFMEU has donated $5,000 to Geelong’s Ice Fight  Australians are the biggest users of amphetamines in the world  Use among construction workers is about the same as the community as a whole.

While not unique to Geelong, ice is damaging a lot of lives in the town.

P

olice Senior Sergeant Tony Francis is the public face of Geelong’s Ice Fight, a community campaign aimed at reducing the drug’s use. Speaking at Cockram’s CADET building site at Deakin Uni recently, Sergeant Francis thanked the CFMEU for taking leadership on the issue and urged people to stand up and be counted.

‘We can’t police our way out of this problem,’ he told workers. ‘Ice is driving increased property crime and having a devastating effect on families and communities.’

Damage done at home and at work Tony explained that the Ice Fight campaign has twin objectives: providing support to those who have fallen into using the drug, while at the same time sending a strong message of no tolerance.

88 Right: Rigger Michael Sims with CFMEU Organiser Peter Booth and Incolink Drug and Alcohol support worker Lewis Burnside.

‘This drug is going into in all industries.

You certainly don’t want anyone on ice at work. It’s too dangerous.’

CFMEU Organiser Brendan Murphy echoed this safety message, and urged Union members to support the campaign.

‘This isn’t about dob-in-a-dealer. It’s about making people aware of what ice can do to you,’ said Brendan.

‘I’ve seen how families are affected when a father gets caught up using drugs – and it’s extremely hard.’

Find out more Geelong’s Ice Fight campaign will continue throughout 2015. A phone app to educate workers about ice and direct them where to get help is now being developed.

For more information, visit icefight.com.au or notatwork.com.au

Need help with drugs or alcohol?

Call Incolink’s confidential counselling service

(03) 9668 3061

88 From left, Senior Sergeant Tony Francis, shop steward Dave Aird, organiser Brendan Murphy and Paul Kelly.

TRADES HALL CAMPAIGN

What is ice?

It is a pure form of the drug methamphetamine (also known as crystal meth).

It can be injected or snorted, but is most commonly smoked.

Initially, it can give users feelings of pleasure, energy and confidence.

However, it quickly becomes addictive, and repeated use leads to anxiety, brain damage, paranoia, memory loss, and worse.

What’s in it?

Dangerous chemicals commonly found in ice

Acetone

Nail polish remover

Lithium

used in batteries

Hydrochloric acid Toluene Brake Fluid

Red Phosphorous

used in flares and matches

Sodium Hydroxide

User beware Incolink’s Lewis Burnside says 70% of people seeking help from counsellors are using ice.

‘The three factors driving the ice problem are availability, purity and cost. Australian users pay a lot more than the rest of the world, making the market attractive to traffickers, who are flooding the country with the stuff.

New face of

TRADES HALL

There’s been a buzz around Trades Hall lately.

An energetic campaign to oust the Liberal Government breathed life into the grand old building at the bottom of Lygon Street.

T

he man behind the resurgence is new Trades Hall Council Secretary Luke Hilakari, 33. The team he built in his first year in the job is widely acknowledged as a major factor in the defeat of the Victorian Liberals.

Luke started out shovelling dirt in a nursery before organising security guards for the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (now United Voice). CFMEU Worker asked him what sticks in his mind from his time organising low-paid workers.

Luke Hilakari: My strongest memory is going down to the Dandenong rail yards at 1am to meet train cleaners. The job was subcontracted and the cleaners were on less than $7 an hour, well below the minimum wage.

CFMEU Worker: What’s the best thing about unions?

LH: Solidarity. When workers stand together there is nothing we can’t do.

The role of Trades Hall is to pull us all together to improve the lives of Victorian workers.

CW: Trades Hall’s election campaign turned a lot of heads. How big was it?

LH: WE ARE UNION received massive support from the CFMEU and other affiliates. Together we  Knocked on 93,000 doors  Made 101,000 phone calls  Recruited 2,192 new activists This is the largest campaign Trades Hall has ever run and, make no mistake, it was workers who got rid of the Liberals.

CW: What is your main aim as Secretary of Trades Hall?

Every Victorian worker deserves respect.

We want safe, secure and well paid union jobs. I’ll fight to ensure this happens.

We need to build our movement, grow our activists and take down conservatives and big business that attack our conditions and safety. That’s why we are going to keep WE ARE UNION going.

‘Unlike the speed which was more common in the past, ice can be up to 95 pure. For new users, that is like going from zero to 100 straight away.’

More information:

www.weareunion.org.au

Warns Lewis. ‘We see people who have used drugs on and off for years – and think they can handle it – just coming apart at the seams.’

88 Incolink Drug & Alcohol Support Worker Lewis Burnside.

Any day we can get exploited workers to join a union and fight to win wage justice, is a good day.

88 New Trades Hall Council Secretary Luke Hilakari.

CFMEU WORKER

019

INSERT COPYUNDER THREAT DEMOCRACY

No crime to stand up for Aussie jobs...

On 7 November, 76 CFMEU members fronted a Perth court for a case that will determine the future of free speech in Australia.

Their alleged crime?

On 28 February 2013, they were part of a 5,000-strong rally outside the Premier’s Office in Perth demanding that the mining boom support manufacturing and give local kids a job.

What happened one year later?

Fair Work Building and Construction (the old ABCC) sent agents to the workers’ homes to charge them with ‘unlawful industrial action’. If found guilty they could be fined up to $10,000.

Who are the 76?

Rank and file CFMEU members who all worked for the same formwork company, Crown Constructions, on a John Holland site.

Why are they being targeted?

Because Tony Abbott’s construction enforcer, Nigel Hadgkiss, wants some scalps that he hopes will put workers off going to similar rallies.

There is no way these 76 workers took industrial action to attend the rally. They were not in dispute with their boss, made no demands, and did not seek payment for their time off work.

Every year, thousands of workers from all industries attend rallies. We will not let these 76 be singled out. This would set a precedent that we are captives at work, and can only express our democratic rights if the government says so.

The WA 76 are all holding the line and pleading not guilty. They deserve the support of every Australian who believes in freedom of speech.

Our Resources, Our Jobs, Our Kids. Support the 76.

CFMEU has led 88 The WA Branch of the state’s mining the of s efit calls for the ben boom to be spread to all.

NORM WALLACE MAKING INSERT HISTORY COPY

From the jungles of Borneo as a Z Force commando to the streets of Melbourne with the BLF, Norm Wallace has helped make history.

Born in Seddon in 1926, Norm went to school as the Great Depression hit Melbourne’s working class heartland. His early start to working life was interrupted by war, with Norm volunteering in 1942, still shy of his 16th birthday.

While training to become a paratrooper, Norm was recruited by the Army’s Z Special commando unit. In New Guinea and Borneo, he took part in missions behind enemy lines that helped turn the war against the Japanese.

Finding it difficult to settle down after being demobbed, Norm drifted into building work, beginning with the Woomera Rocket Range in the South Australian desert. He soon learned that fairness wasn’t guaranteed in the workplace and 88 Commando Norm Wallace during WWII

found himself the site rep for the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF).

As he became more involved in the union, his leadership qualities were recognised, resulting in

his election as an organiser in 1960. There began his 28-year career as a BLF official, during which he rose to the position of Victorian Assistant Secretary.

Norm saw the best and worst of times with the BLF. He was along for the ride in the 60s and 70s as the union made major breakthroughs on wages, conditions and safety.

The BLF’s victories saw them revered by fellow unionists, but hated by bosses. Norm had a front row seat in the 1980s as the ruling class turned all its guns on the BLF, resulting in its deregistration and the jailing of leader Norm Gallagher. Members of the deregistered BLF merged with the CFMEU in 1992.

Continued next page...

CFMEU WORKER

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e

p alongsid 88 On the stum s. in John Cumm

NORM WALLACE INTERVIEW Norm Wallace is widely considered an astute leader who helped keep the BLF together through difficult times until his retirement in 1988.

CFMEU Worker (CW): How did you become involved in the union?

Norm Wallace (NW): My understanding of politics was brought about growing up in Seddon and Footscray in the Depression.

I remember kids being sent home from school because they didn’t have shoes.

Different things like that made you think.

Also, in the army you met all types of people and had discussions. It became obvious to me that workers had to stand together if they wanted to get anywhere.

I think I was just a young man realising there was such a thing as the class struggle.

CW: In the 1960s was there a union culture where everyone joined and the organiser’s job was easy?

NW: No. Like at any other time, you had your organised jobs and your unorganised ones. You had to show people the Union could achieve something to get them to join.

On jobs where you were well organised, you couldn’t straight out demand, ‘No ticket, no start’, but you could get it. The blokes would say to the boss, ‘Either he goes or we go’. So it depended on the strength of the people on the job.

Unionism from on top will never work. It only works when it’s built up from below.

CW: Who inspired you in your early days with the BLF? NW: Leaders who came out of the rank and file, like Paddy Malone and Jock McEwan.

In the early 1940s they fought a battle against the right wing, crooked element that was controlling the Victorian Branch.

Paddy was a brilliant man with a good understanding of politics. He was straightforward and honest and set a pattern for the Union of how to organise: you had to respect the members and work hard to get them the best possible conditions.

A tradesman would join the union in order to gain recognition in his trade. A builder’s labourer didn’t have that. His union had to be out there gaining him better conditions through action.

CW: When did Victorian building workers start to make big gains?

NW: Through the early 1950s you had the odd over-award payment. But with the boom for the 1956 Olympics, the unions won the first Victorian Building Industry Agreement. This enshrined certain overaward conditions and payments.

Initially, only a small group of employers entered into it. To get other companies signed on, you had to campaign on the job.

You had to go down, hold meeting after meeting and convince blokes to have a go.

Unionism from on top will never work. It only works when it’s built up from below.

CW: So there were no easy times when improvements were handed out? Everything had to be fought for.

NW: Yes. Action was the basis of all things. Sometimes the economic situation favoured you and it was cheaper for the boss to give in than to battle you.

It’s always worthwhile remembering that sometimes there are favourable circumstances to fight a battle, and sometimes those circumstances don’t exist.

CW: Why did the BLF attract such loyal support from its members?

NW: Because the officials were always on the jobs and members saw that if you picked the right battleground and used the right tactics, which we became – in my opinion –

022

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

88 The BLF was one of the first unions to popularise its logo on stickers and tee shirts.

quite good at, you got the results. And if you get the results, people support you.

CW: Most of the conditions that construction workers have today were established in the decades following WWII. What campaigns stick in your mind?

NW: One of our greatest achievements— and this was initiated by the Victorian branch and Norm Gallagher—was the immediate payment of workers’ compensation. Unions were having constant battles with insurance companies.

A bloke would get injured and wait two months before he got paid.

We went on the jobs and got his workmates to demand the employer paid the wages on payday and let his insurance company worry about the claim.

The battle lasted a fair while, including tactics like taking matters directly to the insurance companies, but we won it and I reckon that was one of the great breakthroughs.

CW: What about superannuation?

NW: Superannuation had been a controversial issue for a long time. There was a view that the emphasis should be on securing an absolute right to a decent old

age pension, but gradually super became a demand of the labour movement. The problem was it required action on the job and not every union was willing or able to take it.

We were asked to get stuck into the campaign and I say straight out that we made the breakthrough not just for the building industry, but for everyone to secure compulsory superannuation.

CW: The BLF’s successes brought a backlash that has echoes in today’s attacks on the CFMEU: media smears, a royal commission. How do you look back now on the union’s final years?

NW: Perhaps the main reason why the Builders Labourers got eliminated is that we stood flat footed. We didn’t pull back when we should have and allowed ourselves to be put in a corner where the ruling class said, ‘We’re going to destroy you’. In reality, we allowed them to destroy our organisation because we didn’t manoeuvre.

CW: Is the CFMEU attacked for the same reasons as the BLF? Because it is effective?

NW: You only have to compare the wages and allowances being paid through construction EBAs with other industries

88 With John Cummins, Harry Danaher and Norm Gallagher, BLF mass meeting, Dallas Brooks Hall, 1983

SUMMER 2015

and you can readily see why there’s this outcry against the CFMEU. But in this day and age, we need to realise that it’s not just the CFMEU that’s under attack. There are elements of the ruling class who want to do away with unions altogether.

Thanks to Malcolm McDonald for assistance.

Building union gains, 1950s-1980s  Site allowance  Fares and travel  Superannuation  Inclement weather  Victorian Building Industrial Agreement  Amenities  Workers compensation  Sick leave  Paid public holidays  Portable long service leave  Clothing issue  Redundancy pay/Incolink  Man hoists Medibank/Medicare In 1976 the Fraser Liberal Government set about dismantling the Medibank universal health care system introduced

by Gough Whitlam.

Unions hit the streets in protest and kept up the pressure until 1983, when the newly elected Hawke government was forced to restore Medicare (as it was renamed) as its first item of business.

CFMEU WORKER

023

BANDANA DESIGN COMPETITION

e n o d l l e W

S D I K

Thanks to all kids who entered our competition to design the artwork for next year’s Good Friday Appeal bandanas.

Congratulations to our winner. Mia Fantauzzo and her family have a won a week’s holiday on the Gold Coast, including airfares, accommodation and theme park tickets. Enjoy!

88 Mia Fantauzzo, winner of our Good Friday Appeal design competition, with CFMEU Secretary John Setka and Appeal Director Anne Randall.

Mia’s design will appear on hard hat hankies and flags in the run up to Easter next year.

Mia will be taking her sister Ava and her parents to the Gold Coast, where she will enjoy her favourite fun park, Movie World.

OUR R E N N I W

Connor Brady Age 5

Ella Taylor Age 12

Ivan Lovric Age 4

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CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

BANDANA DESIGN COMPETITION

Emerald Wood Age 8

April Farrugia Age 7

Indi-Shae Wood Age 10

Jack Davis

James Tabakis Age 4

Zac Mozjerin Eva Lovric Age 5

Vanessa Tabakis Age 6

Eleni Hatzis Age 12

R

Jessi-May Davis

Marlie Wood Age 6

Abbi Pavlinusic Age 9

SUMMER 2015

Tayla Pavlinusic Age 7

CFMEU WORKER

025

2014 Pic INSERTDAY PICNIC COPY 2014

Magical 88 Santa’s as a big hit. w m o d King

organiser 88 Picnic lis. a sp Beck Pa rk. o w t a re G

026

was 88 A great day g too! had in Geelon

CFMEU WORKER WORKER

SUMMER 2015

cnic Day

PICNIC INSERT DAYCOPY 2014

88 Nothing’s too good for our kids, including Australia’s biggest slide.

88 Fun in Ballarat.

SUMMER 2015

CFMEU WORKER

027

ENJOY SUMMER

! e m i t e i It's Barb BBQ hints & tips

Keep food from sticking by rubbing grill with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray beforehand.

Restoring your BBQ

on the uncooked side. The clearer the juice, the more well done the meat, (see table for cooking times).

Leave space around each food item on the grill to allow for even cooking and smoke penetration.

Brush the grilling surface (once it’s cooled) with a wire brush to remove any stuck on food.

Turn meat just once on the grill. For steaks, turn when the juices bubble

Make sure meat is at room temperature before cooking.

Getting your steak right For steak 11/2 cm thick

2-3 cm thick

Tong test

Rare

1-1

2-3 mins each side

Soft

Gone a little rusty over winter?

Medium

2-3 mins each side

4-5 mins each side

Slightly firmer & springy

Well Done

3-4 mins each side

5-6 mins each side

Very firm with no spring

1. Take the cooking plates out of BBQ. Scrape off flaking rust and gunk with a paint scraper and wire brush.

Don’t forget to rest ‘em.

2. Wash the plates in warm, mildly soapy water, then rinse well with a mixture of one cup of white vinegar to half a bucket of water and leave to dry.

3. Replace plates on BBQ. Turn on heat, then carefully spray or wipe with canola oil. Once that burns off, repeat and let that burn off, too. Turn off the barbecue and let it cool down.

028

1/2

mins each side

Cover and set aside steaks for 5 minutes.

Heat pushes juices to the centre of the steak.

Resting allows it to relax.

The juices then distribute evenly throughout the steak, making it succulent and tender.

Golden rule No backseat chef’s saying things like ‘Geez I wouldn’t have turned that over just yet.’

Gas v Charcoal

Gas Faster, no waiting around for coals to start glowing

Easier to control temperature CFMEU WORKER

Charcoal Much loved smoky charcoal flavour Hotter temp sears meat better

ENJOY SUMMER

Drink safe this summer For many, the festive season is best enjoyed with a drink in hand. Nothing wrong with that, but it is important to enjoy alcohol safely.

For most adults, drinking less than 2 standard drinks will keep you below .05.

One 285 ml (pot) = 1.1 standard drinks

DID YOU KNOW? Alcohol is involved in around one-third of all road deaths.

Eating before you drink slows the absorption of alcohol but will not alter your blood-alcohol level.

In other words, you might not feel pissed but you could still blow over.

Victoria Police is running its biggest ever traffic offence blitz until January 31. Dates when Christmas parties are traditionally held will be targeted.

Most insurance policies exclude a driver who was: Drink slowly and don’t allow your drinks to be topped up, as you’ll lose track of how many you’ve had.

100 ml standard serve of white wine 11.5% Alc/Vol = 1 standard drink

DRIVING WHILE OVER THE LIMIT

AFFECTED BY DRUGS

It takes a healthy liver at least 1 hour to break down a standard drink, so you can still be over the limit after sleeping. If you drink 5 standard drinks, it will take approximately five hours to be back at .00

REFUSED TO BE TESTED FOR DRUGS OR ALCOHOL.

Standard drinks guide

A 'standard drink' is the measure of alcohol used to work out safe drinking levels. One standard drink contains 10g of alcohol. Often a glass or bottle of alcohol can contain more than one standard drink.

375ml full-strength beer 4.9 Alc/Vol = 1.4 standard drinks

375 ml pre-mix spirit 5 - 7% Alc/Vol = 1.5-2.1 standard drinks

30ml spirit nip serving 40% Alc/Vol = 1 standard drink

For more information, visit notatwork.com.au

CFMEU WORKER

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CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

ON SITE

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88 Crane Crew Lo Gibilisco, Geor uie ge Tsangas and Jo hn Cunha.

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SUMMER 2015

CFMEU WORKER

031

There is a lot of development in this area as old industrial sites make way for apartments. In the new year L.U. Simon will kick off construction of the $200 million, five tower Ettaro (Italian for hectare) project.

Shepparton Expansion of the precast industry has come at a good time for Shepparton says Border Region organiser Fozzie Tait.

88 Shepparton Terrazzo made the first concrete panels in town 37 years ago.

Ettaro site, Brunswick 88 Organiser Gerarad Benstead with members working for Straightline Excavations.

‘The decline in maufacturing and the fruit industry has really hit the Goulburn Valley and there hasn’t been much construction as a result,’ explains Fozz. ‘Fortunately Shepp has become a bit of a precast hub.

88 Rokez.

‘We’ve got EBAs with the four suppliers in town, a solid membership base and stewards in the yards’.

88 Statewide Panels.

88 Nu-Con.

032

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

SLATER & GORDON

SLATER & GORDON

- IN YOUR CORNER Many Australians are unaware they can access insurance through their superannuation fund if they are injured at work and can no longer do their job.

C

olin Booker, 61, admits he had no idea his Cbus membership gave him Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance until he read an article in the April 2013 CFMEU Worker.

At the time, the BRC Piling rigger had been struggling to get back to work after suffering a lower back injury on the job.

‘Not long after I saw that article, I called CFMEU Legal Services and was put in touch with Slater & Gordon. Law clerk Hannah Lane put in an application to Cbus, and in February this year they approved a lump sum payout of $50,000,’ says Colin.

‘I had tried everything to get back to work after my back injury - rheumatology, physio, cortisone and epidural injections.

I even tried light duties, but I just couldn't manage… I'm so grateful I was able to get TPD insurance. More workers need to know it's available.’

‘Slater & Gordon make it easy,’ he adds. 'All I had to do was fill out a form. In 20-odd years as a member of the CFMEU I'd never had to call for back up but when I did, I was well satisfied with the service.’

Slater & Gordon have also helped Colin with a hearing loss claim and will be overseeing his lump sum workers’ compensation case.

88 It was only when reading an article in the April 2013 CFMEU Worker that Colin Booker realised he could make a TPD claim worth $50,000.

88 Slater and Gordon’s Mick Sayers talks over things with Colin Booker.

Who can claim a superannuation disability insurance benefit?

Whether or not you can make a claim for a superannuation disability insurance benefit will depend on a number of factors, including your age (Cbus members can claim TPD benefits to age 65). Generally, you will also need to show that:  you suffer from an injury or illness that prevents you from working, and  at the time you suffered your injury or illness, you were a member of a superannuation fund.

It does not matter how your injury or

illness came about, and you can still make a claim even if you are receiving other benefits like workers' compensation.

It is important you seek independent legal advice early.

Slater & Gordon has a free online superannuation benefits assessment tool www.superannuationclaims.com.au.

Slater & Gordon can also assist members experiencing difficulties with Incolink claims.

Contact CFMEU Legal Services for an obligation-free enquiry on 9341 3444.

Legal support when you need it.

T

hanks to our partnership with Slater and Gordon, Senior Associate with the firm, Michael Sayers, is based at the CFMEU office.

A fighting union backed by an effective law firm is a powerful combination. Mick is pleased he is able to help people when they need it most.

‘The period after a serious accident is traumatic for families. We assist by handling their paperwork and making sure they get everything they are entitled to,’ says Mick.

An important part of Mick's role is advising members involved in WorkCover investigations. His advice: ‘Don't say

anything until you get legal advice.’

Our arrangement with Slater and Gordon also offers members free initial legal advice on personal matters, discount fees and a free Will service.

For assistance, call CFMEU Legal Services on 9341 3444.

CFMEU WORKER

033

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT

Did you work at the desal plant?

Then read this.

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA. VICTORIA DISTRICT REGISTRY. GENERAL DIVISION No (P)VID242/2012 DAVID TRISTAN BRANNAGHAN Applicant AUSTRALIAN SECURITY AND INVESTIGATIONS (TAS) PTY LTD (ACN 090 959 701) and others Respondents

8. “Employee Private Information” includes any resumes, medical records, psychological profiles, drug screen results, wages, salaries, tax file information, driver’s licence details and industry certifications provided to the Thiess Degremont Joint Venture.

NOTICE OF PROPOSED SETTLEMENT

C. PROPOSED SETTLEMENT OF THE CLASS ACTION

A. DESALINATION PLANT CLASS ACTION

9. In March 2014, the lead applicant, the Unions and the remaining Respondents agreed to a proposed settlement of the class action. In order for it to take effect, the Court must approve the terms of the proposed settlement.

1. On 16 March 2012, a “class action” was commenced in the Federal Court of Australia against Thiess Pty Ltd and Degremont Pty Ltd (trading as Thiess Degremont Joint Venture), Australian Security & Investigations (Tas) Pty Ltd, Bruce Townsend and Steven Conrad (together, the Respondents) in relation to events that occurred at the desalination plant at Wonthaggi in Victoria during 2010.

2. The class action was settled against the Thiess Degremont Joint Venture in July 2013 but continued against the other Respondents. This Notice relates to a proposed settlement of the class action as against the remaining Respondents.

10. Under the proposed settlement, the remaining Respondents have agreed to: a. provide a sworn affidavit regarding their collection and use of Employee Private Information. A copy of the affidavit is available on request to Slater & Gordon; and

b. destroy any Employee Private Information still in their possession, and consent to a permanent injunction against further use of the information.

3. The class action is brought by the lead applicant David Tristan Brannaghan on behalf of ‘group members’, and alleges the improper use of private or confidential information belonging to persons who applied for employment at the desalination plant during 2010.

D. WHAT GROUP MEMBERS MAY DO

4. The lead applicant’s action is supported by three unions: the AMWU, the CFMEU and the ETU (together, the Unions).

12. If you fit the definition of a ‘group member’ in this class action, you can do one of two things:

5. A copy of the full details of the claim and other legal documents can be made available on request to Slater & Gordon lawyers.

a. Take no further action – by taking no further action, you will remain a group member and be included in the settlement. You will then not be able to take any independent action against the remaining Respondents in relation to the same alleged misconduct.

B. WHO IS A GROUP MEMBER? 6. Group members have legal rights that may be affected by the proposed settlement.

7. You are a group member if you provided Employee Private Information to the Thiess Degremont Joint Venture for the purpose of becoming an employee of the Joint Venture, whether or not you subsequently became an employee, during 2010.

034

11. The settlement does not include compensation for any claimants for harm that the lead applicant or group members may have suffered because of the remaining Respondents’ conduct.

b. Oppose the settlement – if you do not wish to be bound by the proposed settlement, you may ask the Court not to approve the settlement. If you wish to take this step, you must do both of the following: i. Send a written notice to Slater & Gordon by no later than Friday 27th February

CFMEU WORKER

2015 confirming that you wish to oppose the settlement; and ii. Attend (or send a representative to) the hearing at 10.15am on Tuesday 10th March 2015 at the Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne, when the Federal Court will consider whether to approve the settlement.

13. If you intend to oppose the settlement: a. y ou or your representative will need to attend the hearing and explain to the Court why you consider that the settlement should not be approved, or should not apply to you; and

b. you should seek independent legal advice, including advice as to any potential costs consequences should you wish to take over the conduct of the class action.

14. If you choose to take no further action and remain a group member, you will not be, or become, liable for any legal costs in relation to your claim.

E. OBJECTION NOTICES OR QUESTIONS 15. If you wish to send a notice of objection to the settlement or request a copy of the settlement agreement, or are not sure if you are a group member, or have any questions, please contact Slater & Gordon: By telephone: (03) 9602 6969 during business hours, Monday to Friday

By email: classactions@slatergordon.com.au By post: Desalination Plant Class Action Slater & Gordon GPO Box 4864 MELBOURNE VIC 3000

WHERE’S PEARCE?

1. Page 8. Get Well Mills, rear, 2nd from left.

2. Page 16. 3. Page 17. Group shot, third from right. 4 & 5. Pages 31-32. Photo of four next to Derek Chistopher and in main shot, back row on right. 6. Page 35. Yves Apartment, group shot, back row,2nd from left. 7. (The tricky one)Page 18. Reading the leaflet!

SUMMER 2015

ON SITE

e Uni Watpac, Melbourn n Apartments, Carlto

88 All smiles. There ’s plenty of scaffolding work for this crew from All Syste ms.

ments, Yves Apart d StKilda Roa A developer’s loss has been these worker’s gain, with a major rectification project underway to reinstall every balustrade on the building.

88 Shop steward Carlo Petrelli.

SUMMER 2015

CFMEU WORKER

035

LESS SUPER

Workers to retire with less The decision by the Commonwealth Government to delay the increase in the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) is disappointing and can mean that Australians retire with less.

At the last Federal election, the current Commonwealth Government said they would support increasing super to 12%

by June 2023.

Unfortunately, in September 2014 the Commonwealth Government changed this position and legislated a new timeline—workers’ SG will not increase to 12% until a full year later.

There will also be a delay in the increase from 9.5% (the current rate) to

036

9.75% of two years.

Both these decisions can have a financial impact on the retirement outcome of Australian workers.

According to Industry Super Australia (ISA), this delay will see an average 25 year old, on average earnings over their working life, retire with up to $36,000 less*.

Government also announced that it would scrap the Low Income Super Contribution, which means around 179,000 Cbus members will lose $500 per year in their super. * The figures quoted in this article are based on the following assumptions: wage growth 3.0%, CPI 2.5%, after tax and fee super earnings 6.25%.

ISA figures also show that a 40 year old on $70,000 will receive $19,188 less in retirement*.

At the same time, the Commonwealth

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

NEW

Is it time to get hands on with your super?

Cbus Self Managed is now available Cbus has introduced a new investment option that allows you to get hands on with your super.

With Cbus Self Managed, eligible members can invest their super directly in a range of Australian shares, Exchange Traded Funds and term deposits via a secure online platform.

You get the choice and control of a self-managed super fund (SMSF) without the administration and compliance burden.

To find out more visit www.cbussuper.com.au/cbusselfmanaged Cbus’ Trustee: United Super Pty Ltd ABN 46 006 261 623 AFSL 233792 Cbus ABN 75 493 363 262. Read the relevant Cbus Product Disclosure Statement to decide whether Cbus is right for you. Contact 1300 361 784 or visit www.cbussuper.com.au for a copy.

EUREKA EUREKA STOCKADE - 160 YEARS

88 Swearing Allegiance to the Southern Cross, Charles Doudiet.

160 YEARS ON - STILL AN INSPIRATION The old saying ‘the battle was lost, but the war was won’ is never truer than when spoken of the Eureka Rebellion.

T

he fight was swift and bloody when British troops stormed the Ballarat miners’ stockade at dawn on 3 December 1854. Within minutes, the camp was overrun and 22 miners and seven soldiers lay dead or dying.

As the surviving rebels were rounded up at gunpoint or escaped into the bush, they must have felt their fight for justice on the goldfields and democracy in the colony of Victoria had failed.

Amazingly, just one year later, all their demands had been met: the hated licence system was abolished; miners could build

038

on their claims and buy farmland; and Victoria brought about one of the world’s fairest and most democratic electoral systems in the mid-19th century.

For good reason, Eureka is rightly considered the birthplace of democracy in Australia. For 160 years now, it has remained an inspiration to those fighting injustice.

Gold rush fever The discovery of gold in central Victoria in 1851 transformed the young colony.

Fortune-seekers flocked to Ballarat, Bendigo and Castlemaine, as word spread of the fortunes to be made.

To ensure that the Crown got a piece of the action, the new colony’s first Governor, Joseph La Trobe, introduced a law that every miner carry a licence. This cost one pound and ten shillings per month,

CFMEU WORKER

roughly equal to the average weekly wage at the time.

Police troopers were hated by miners for their heavy-handed enforcement of the licence law on the goldfields. Being caught unlicensed attracted a five-pound fine or a jail sentence. The troopers’ zeal for checking licences was fuelled by the fact that they kept half of the fines they collected.

Tough times for miners by 1854 By 1854, the euphoria of the early gold rush days had faded in Ballarat. Easy finds at the surface had been exhausted, and miners were now forced to dig deep shafts to reach underground deposits. Rewards were not guaranteed.

Angry diggers formed the Ballarat Reform League on 11 November of that year. Their list of demands included abolition of the

continued on page 40...

SUMMER 2015

EUREKA STOCKADE - 160 YEARS

Eureka in History For 160 years, Australians fighting for their rights have drawn inspiration from the Eureka uprising.

1891 The Ballad ofe 1891 t th ou ab g n so ke.

Classic shearers stri Queensland 88 Shearers’ strike camp, Barcaldine, Queensland, 1891.

“It was the finest thing in Australasian history. It was a revolution – small in size; but great politically; it was a strike for liberty, a struggle for a principle, a stand against injustice and oppression.”

Mark Twain, American writer, 1895

88 Grocon dispute 2012

EUREKA FLAG: WHEN & HOW that DESIGN CAME ABOUT The Eureka flag was designed by Canadian digger Charles Ross.

Ross was fatally wounded while fighting beneath his flag, when troopers stormed the Eureka Stockade at dawn on 3 December 1854.

Twelve feet across by eight feet high, the Eureka flag depicts the Southern Cross stars joined by a white cross, representing unity in defiance.

88 Rally against sacking of the Whitlam Government, Sydney Domain, 1975.

It was made from pieces of woollen fabric stitched together by Ballarat miners’ wives Anastasia Withers, Anne Duke and Anastasia Hayes.

SUMMER 2015

The original flag was lost for many years and damaged by souvenir hunters. It now hangs in the Museum of Australian Democracy in Ballarat.

88 A comprehensive conservation

by Artlab Australia in 2010-11 has dramatically improved its appearance.

CFMEU WORKER

039

EUREKA STOCKADE - STILL AN INSPIRATION Within 15 minutes, it was all over.

Peter Lalor, who was shot in the shoulder during the fight, was hidden down a mineshaft. When the battlefield cleared, he was carried to the Catholic priest’s presbytery, where a doctor amputated his arm. He then went into hiding.

In the days that followed, Hotham sent 800 more soldiers to Ballarat and declared martial law. Thirteen ringleaders of the Eureka rebellion were sent to Melbourne to face trial for treason.

Outcry News of the bloody repression was met with outrage throughout Victoria. Public meetings condemned Hotham’s handling of the crisis and newspapers sided with the diggers.

88 Eureka Stockade, George Julian Browning.

licence system and democratic reforms for the Victorian colony, including:

Hill, where Peter Lalor led them in the taking of the oath:

1. Manhood suffrage (votes for all men)

‘We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties.’

2. Abolition of the property-owning restriction on voting or becoming a Member of Parliament 3. Regular elections 4. That Members of Parliament be paid a wage.

Main source: Eureka Stockade, Marion Littlejohn, 2013, Black Dog Books

‘No taxation without representation’, the catchcry of the 1776 American revolution, was now commonly heard wherever miners gathered to discuss their grievances.

The Ballarat rebels came from all over the globe. Many of them had first-hand experience of the revolutions that had rocked Europe in 1848. The Reform League’s demands also drew heavily on the English Chartist movement for voting rights.

Irishmen were heavily represented, and brought experience of uprisings against British rule and bitter memories of the 1845 Great Potato Famine.

Rebels raise Eureka flag The Eureka flag was first flown at a 10,000-strong meeting on Bakery Hill, Ballarat on 29 November. In a sign of growing militancy, many diggers burned their government mining licences.

In response, local Ballarat Police Commissioner Rede ordered a licence hunt the following day, resulting in unrest on the diggings and the arrest of seven miners.

An angry crowd massed again on Bakery

040

They then marched to the Eureka diggings, where they re-erected the flagpole and began building their stockade.

Over the next two days, the rebels dug in, stockpiling weapons and food. Those without guns were equipped with pikes by local blacksmiths.

Attack, killings, arrests La Trobe’s successor as Victoria’s Governor, Charles Hotham, was determined to strike down the miners’ rebellion with maximum force.

On the evening of 2 December, leaders of the British Army’s 12th and 40th regiments, which Hotham had sent to Ballarat, received word that the Eureka Stockade was undermanned.

The first Eureka rebel to be tried for treason, John Joseph, an African-American, was soon found not guilty by a jury in February 1855. In quick succession, the other twelve defendants walked free from court, and rewards on the heads of Lalor and two others were lifted.

We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties.

Eureka oath.

In March 1855, mining licences were replaced by a Miner’s Right, which cost one pound for a year and allowed the holder to build on their claim and vote in elections.

A new levy applied only to those who found gold.

Victoria’s Legislative Council was expanded from 54 to 66 seats, with 8 of the new seats representing the goldfields. The triumph of the Eureka rebels’ cause was driven home in November, when Lalor and another Reform League leader, John Humffray, were elected as paid Members of Parliament.

It would take 55 years before women gained the right to vote in Victoria and more than a century before most Aboriginal people became eligible. Still, Eureka was the decisive moment in establishing democracy in Australia and making governments accountable to the people.

In the early hours of 3 December, 296 soldiers surrounded the stockade. They attacked at dawn, shooting and bayoneting their way through the surprised camp.

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

THE CONCRETE INSERT GANG COPY

THE CONCRETE GANG PRESENTS

SCALLYWAG OF THE YEAR

And our 2014 nominees are...

GROCON Sites still riddled with safety problems: exploding concrete pumps...you name it. Never apologised for the Swanston Street wall collapse.

WORKCOVER

Especially CEO Denise Cosgrove over the deal with Grocon to take the wall collapse charges down to just one count with a poxy $250,000 fine. Plus general lameness.

NIGEL HADGKISS

Abbott’s rabid construction watchdog.

Thinks he’s on a mission to rid the world of the CFMEU and free grubby bosses to do whatever they like. WA 76 case could be his undoing.

LEND LEASE Signed on to Abbott’s anti-union drive, but forgot evacuation procedures when Barangaroo in Sydney went up in smoke – twice!

Plus other sins, mainly poor safety.

DISHONOURABLE MENTIONS

Mike Kane, Boral CEO  ADCO 2 Construct  Red and Blue Scaffolding  Pace Constructions  Paul Howes SUMMER 2015

THE HERALD SUN Is that the truth or...?

TONY ABBOTT Still trying to get his Budget full of cuts and broken promises through Parliament. Jumped the shark. On the way out now.

DENIS NAPTHINE Made the State election a referendum on the CFMEU. The CFMEU won.

Assistant Police Commissioner

STEPHEN FONTANA

‘I’ve got that wrong, I apologise.’

Tune in at 9.30am on Sunday 21 December to hear the winner 3CR 855AM or www.3cr.org.au The CFMEU is proud to support community radio station 3CR.

CFMEU WORKER

041

MEET YOUR O INSERT COPY

Drew MacDonald

Mark ‘Fozzie’ Tait

for us again. Never budged an inch

Jock. He was a staunch communist

YOUR FAVOURITE BAND OR SINGER

THE FILM OR BOOK THAT HAD A BIG IMPACT ON ME WAS

YOUR FAVOURITE BAND OR SINGER

Book: Lance Armstrong, Not about the Bike – My Journey Back to Life

Meatloaf

IF I WASN’T WORKING FOR THE UNION, I WOULD BE?

Bat Out Of Hell

MY FAMILY’S HERITAGE IS

MY FAVOURITE ACTOR

New Zealand, South Island

Scottish

Ed O’Neill as Al Bundy

WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU… THAT WE CAN PRINT?

MY PERFECT WEEKEND IS

Kiwi, Scottish, Irish, English

IF I WAS KING FOR A DAY, I WOULD…

WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU… THAT WE CAN PRINT?

Rolling Stones

I WAS BORN IN …AND GREW UP IN

Williamstown…grew up in Newport

I have hairless legs, as I compete as a cyclist (one of Billy Beattie’s pet hates) MY LAST MEAL WOULD BE

Crayfish and Rib-eye steak MY FAVOURITE CAR IS

The one I’m driving now MY PERFECT HOLIDAY DESTINATION

Dunk Island, Nth Qld

AUSSIE RULES OR THE WORLD GAME?

Both, or a hard man’s game, cycling!

YOUR TEAM/S?

Geelong and Tranmere Rovers MY TRADE WAS

Scaffolder, builder’s labourer WHO’S INSPIRED YOU IN LIFE, AND WHY?

My old man Les, He taught me the principles of trade unionism. Also my uncle

042

Probably unemployed

One with an RDO, thanks to the Union

THE SONG THAT ALWAYS GETS ME GOING IS… I WAS BORN IN AND GREW UP IN MY FAMILY’S HERITAGE IS

Bestow a knighthood on Joe Myles. I’m sure he would like that.

In my younger days, I played A-grade cricket for my province in NZ

WHO ARE 5 PEOPLE (INCLUDING HISTORICAL FIGURES) YOU’D WANT TO INVITE FOR DINNER?

MY LAST MEAL WOULD BE

Stuart O’Grady, Billy Connolly, Keith Richards, Graham Cole, and Wally Curran THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING FOR THE UNION IS

Convincing blokes who are sitting on the fence to join up MY BIGGEST PET HATE IS

My kids not listening or doing what they’re told

THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION ABOUT ME IS…

Thanks to Longy’s big mouth, it’s that I don’t like putting my hand in my pocket to buy a shout.

CFMEU WORKER

NZ whitebait & Paua patties

MY FAVOURITE DRINK IS

Johnny Walker

MY PERFECT HOLIDAY DESTINATION

Marlborough Sounds, NZ AUSSIE RULES OR THE WORLD GAME?

Rugby, of course!

YOUR TEAM?

Parramatta Eels MY TRADE WAS

Plasterer

WHO’S INSPIRED YOU IN LIFE, AND WHY?

John Cummins. In 1985, I saw him dragged off a Melbourne building site by police–and next morning he was back there, sticking up

IF I WASN’T WORKING FOR THE UNION, I WOULD BE?

Still on the tools

MY FAVOURITE ACTOR

Anthony Hopkins

MY PERFECT WEEKEND IS

Having all my family together at home. Laughing and punting at the pub with mates.

IF I WAS KING FOR A DAY, I WOULD…

Get rid of the Liberal Party WHO ARE 5 PEOPLE (INCLUDING HISTORICAL FIGURES) YOU’D WANT TO INVITE FOR DINNER?

Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Eddie Mabo, me mate Dave, and John Cummins

THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING FOR THE UNION IS

In spite of all the attacks thrown at us, we are out there working for the best union in Australia and protecting the members’ rights in a hostile environment MY BIGGEST PET HATE IS

The lies printed in the Murdoch press about our Union THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION ABOUT ME IS…

Under this exterior, I am just Fozz.

SUMMER 2015

ORGANISERS INSERT COPY

Mark Travers

Paul Edwards

‘If you don't work, you don’t pay the bills’

YOUR TEAM?

Carlton YOUR FAVOURITE BAND OR SINGER

The Doors

THE SONG THAT ALWAYS GETS ME GOING IS…

Hell’s Bells, AC/DC

I WAS BORN IN AND GREW UP IN

MY TRADE WAS

Rigger/Dogman WHO’S INSPIRED YOU IN LIFE, AND WHY?

My wife! She keeps me sane IF I WASN’T WORKING FOR THE UNION, I WOULD BE?

Werribee

Back on the tools as a rigger/ dogman

MY FAMILY’S HERITAGE IS

MY PERFECT WEEKEND IS

English/Italian

At the beach

WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU… THAT WE CAN PRINT?

IF I WAS KING FOR A DAY, I WOULD…

MY LAST MEAL WOULD BE

WHO ARE 5 PEOPLE (INCLUDING HISTORICAL FIGURES) YOU’D WANT TO INVITE FOR DINNER?

I surf (or try to, ha ha!)

Seafood…any seafood

MY FAVOURITE DRINK IS

VB

MY FAVOURITE CAR IS

Adam Hall’s Mustang!

MY PERFECT HOLIDAY DESTINATION

Kirra Beach, Queensland

AUSSIE RULES OR THE WORLD GAME?

Aussie Rules…what does the world game mean?

Stop all the greedy bosses sacking workers just before Christmas! Bah humbug

My mates. They know who they are THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING FOR THE UNION IS

Helping the rank and file get what they’re entitled to and work hard for MY BIGGEST PET HATE IS

Bullshitters

THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION ABOUT ME IS…

People think I’m a C U next Thursday.

YOUR FAVOURITE BAND OR SINGER

Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs THE SONG THAT ALWAYS GETS ME GOING IS…

Eye of the Tiger

I WAS BORN IN AND GREW UP IN

Frankton Hospital - 9lb 8oz/22 inches with a mop of hair. Lived here most of my life.

The Shawshank Redemption IF I WASN’T WORKING FOR THE UNION I WOULD BE?

Still working in construction, fighting for and enjoying the conditions MY FAVOURITE ACTOR

Danny DeVito.

WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU… THAT WE CAN PRINT?

I love gardening and have a green thumb MY LAST MEAL WOULD BE

Lamb roast with all the veggies and mint sauce

MY FAVOURITE DRINK IS

MY PERFECT WEEKEND

MY PERFECT HOLIDAY DESTINATION

Relaxing and having a drink and a laugh at a BBQ with good people (and a win on the horses)

AUSSIE RULES OR THE WORLD GAME?

WHO ARE 5 PEOPLE (INCLUDING HISTORICAL FIGURES) YOU’D WANT TO INVITE FOR DINNER?

Ice cold Carlton

Malaysia and Thailand

Aussie Rules, the best game in the world. I played until I was 32 making many good friends YOUR TEAM?

Carlton

MY TRADE WAS

Builders Labourer WHO’S INSPIRED YOU IN LIFE AND WHY?

My Dad who always told me

SUMMER 2015

THE FILM OR BOOK THAT HAD A BIG IMPACT ON ME WAS

Andrew O'Keefe, Danny DeVito, Dick Smith, David Attenborough and Bill Gates THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING FOR THE UNION IS

Helping workers and meeting all types of people MY BIGGEST PET HATE

Bosses who can't make decisions and think they’re in charge.

CFMEU WORKER

043

YOUR WAGES

EBA WAGE RATES ONSITE 36-HOUR WEEK: Site allowances and Incolink weekly contribution rate increased from 1 Oct. Final 5% pay rise of current industry standard EBA due on 1 March 2015.

For sector EBAs see cfmeuvic.com.au (civil, contract scaffold, precast, traffic control, demolition, apprentices, mobile cranes, steel erection, shop fitting)

RATE PER HOUR

RATE PER WEEK*

WEEKLY PRO-RATA HOLIDAY PAY (INCLUDING 17.5% LOADING)

SATURDAY OVERTIME (INCLUDING 20 MINUTES CRIB)

37.44

1347.84

134.71

611.52

Painter – new work

36.60

1317.60

131.75

597.80

Painter – re-paint

36.55

1315.80

131.57

596.98

Marker/Setter-out, Letter Cutter

38.97

1402.92

140.10

636.51

Signwriter

38.16

1373.76

137.24

623.28

40.45

1456.20

145.32

660.68

36.39

1310.04

131.01

594.37

35.19

1266.84

126.78

574.77

(36 HOUR WEEK)

Tradespersons Carpenter, Shopfitter, Joiner Tile-layer Onsite Stonemason Artificial Stoneworker Marble & Slate Worker Plasterer Solid Plasterer Sign Industry Worker Bricklayer

Roof-tiler Special Class Tradesperson Carver *Weekly rates includes tool allowance at 100% rate

Labourers GROUP ONE Rigger Dogman DLI Certified Operator (Boom or Tower pump) Stationary Pump Operator

GROUP TWO Hoist Driver/Winch Driver Line Pump Operator (Truck or Trailer mounted) Scaffolder Steel Fixer Concrete Finisher etc.

044

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2015

YOUR WAGES

Labourers continued GROUP THREE Pile Driver

34.11

1227.96

122.97

557.13

Operator and Dogman/Crane hands

42.39

1526.04

152.16

692.37

Trainee Dogman/Crane hand (fixed cranes)

39.43

1419.48

141.72

644.02

Aluminium Alloy Structural Erector Gantry Hand Drilling Machine Operator Dump Cart Operator Hoseman & Trainee Operator Skilled Labourer and all others

Crane crews TOWER CRANE CREW

Plant operators building and construction (weekly hire) OPERATOR GRADES ONE AND TWO Mechanical plant operator: Groups 1 & 2

35.26

1269.36

127.02

575.91

36.76

1323.36

132.31

600.41

38.20

1375.20

137.39

623.93

Winch driver Mobile hydraulic platform operator

OPERATOR GRADE THREE Mechanical plant operator: Groups 3 & 4 Mobile crane drivers: up to 15 tonnes

OPERATOR GRADE FOUR Mechanical plant operators: Groups 5 & 6 Mobile crane drivers: 15 – 100 tonnes Note: If unsure if agreement applies to you, check with the Union for your company sector-specific EBA, e.g. Civil.

The following site allowances apply under CFMEU construction industry enterprise agreements (EBAs) from October 1 2013.

Multi-storey Allowance

Site Allowances

Start to 15th floor

$0.51 cents/hr

New projects Melbourne inner suburbs and shopping centres

Floors 16 – 30

$0.61 cents/hr

Projects between $3 million and $224 million: $4.00 per hour.

Floors 31 – 45

$0.94 cents/hr

For projects over $224 million, see chart below.

Floors 46 – 60

$1.22 cents/hr

Renovations and refurbishments, Melbourne and inner suburbs: $3.45 per hour.

Floors 61+

$1.49 cents/hr

New projects elsewhere

EBA Benefits and Allowances Travel allowance: $37.45 per day

Project value $ million

Site allowance $ per hour

Superannuation: $175 per week

$3.0 – 7.6million

$2.25

$7.6 – 18.6 million

$2.45

$18.6 – 37.4 million

$2.75

Incolink payments: $74.50 per week paid into Incolink. Income protection, trauma insurance and portable sick leave are also available (paid into Incolink).

$37.4 – 74.7 million

$3.25

$74.7 – 149.3 million

$3.90

$149.3 – 224.0 million

$4.00

$224.0 – 298.5 million

$4.15

$298.5 – 447.9 million

$4.30

For projects above $447.9 million, there shall be an increment of 10 cents per additional $100m or part thereof.

Long service leave: 13 weeks after ten years, pro rata after seven years (paid into CoInvest).

Overtime meal allowance: $21.00 when required to work overtime for one and a half hours or more on an ordinary working day.

Living away from home allowance: $750 per week Site allowance: Check the CFMEU Allowances Schedule for more information.

As well as a 5% pay rise every year for the four-year life of the current EBA, all overtime is double time, fares and travel are up, living away is up, super is up and meals are up. Stay paid-up and proud, it’s worth it!

CFMEU WORKER

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