CFMEU Victoria Worker Summer 2016

SUMMER 2016

Y P P A H D N R A U E O F Y A E S S U A A E C V E B HA , S Y A L I M T M S A I CHR ILY IS OUR F FAM

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

Liberal crooks who are the real criminals?

See page 14.

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04 - 10 EXECUTIVE COLUMNS 16

BOB DAY’S DIRTY DEALS

22

END OF AUTO: COMIC

30

ONSITE PHOTOS

36

FAMILY VIOLENCE ACTION

38

ASBESTOS FIGHT

41

HAZELWOOD SHUTDOWN

42

TRACKING TURNBULL

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REMEMBERING LEMNOS

48

TRAINING FOR LIFE

51

SAFE SILLY SEASON

62

YOUR WAGES

Noel's legacy

20 The wealthy and the workers

24

26 Onsite with Black Armband day

Independent car reviews

34 Good Friday Appeal art winner

44 U.S. workers get trumped

CFMEU Victorian and Tasmanian Branch, Construction & General Division Executive

Organisers and Specialist Staff Field Officers

Secretary John Setka

Gerry Benstead Nigel Davies John Duggan Paul Edwards Steve Long Ian Markham Malcolm Smith Billy Beattie Gareth Stephenson Mark Tait (Fozzie) Theo Theodorou Mark Travers John Ayers Drew McDonald Adam Hall Toby Thornton Mark McMillan Gerry McQuaid Brendan Pitt Joe Myles John Perkovic Peter Booth Richie Hassett (TAS) Fergal Doyle Dean Dando Kane Pearson Adam Olsen

Assistant Secretaries Shaun Reardon Elias Spernovasilis President Ralph Edwards Senior Vice President Derek Christopher Vice President Robert Graauwmans

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Wage Claims Officer Frank Akbari Training Unit Coordinator Anne Duggan Teachers and Trainers Karen Odermatt Mark Devereaux Jacky Gamble Barry Kearney Jennifer Pignataro Rose Nechwatel Connie Hall Paul Allwood Owen Waiomio Craig Lynch Sue Bull Lorella DiPietro Kimberley Stewart Tony Minchin Andy Duff Dan Phelan Communications Officer Jon Stanger

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 Joel Winters Kristen Reid India Shearer Boyd 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

vic.cfmeu.org.au

CFMEU WORKER SUMMER 2016 Authorised by John Setka, Secretary CFMEU Victoria. CFMEU Worker is proudly designed by union members.

Volume 22 Number 3

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MORE YEARS

CFMEU VICTORIATASMANIA LEADERSHIP ELECTED UNOPPOSED.

Thank you for your continued support, it’s been a huge year and we all look forward to working hard for 4 more years, serving the Members who elect their leadership and keep our Union strong.

SUMMER 2016

CFMEU WORKER

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FROM THE SECRETARY

COURAGE KEEPS YOU GOING John Setka Branch Secretary

At the end of 2016, let’s recap on the year that was.

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urnbull called a double dissolution election because of us and scraped through to win government with a measly 14,000 votes.

Together, we achieved one of the best EBAs in the CFMEU’s history, against all odds.

We had a fully packed Festival Hall at our biggest mass meeting in living memory.

That made me proud. All of you should be proud too. It’s because of you that we are one of the biggest and toughest unions in this country.

Standing firm against those who attack us If you read some of the papers, you get a different story. They call us lawless thugs and report on comments by judges who speak freely about our union. One of these judges was lead counsel during the Cole Royal Commission and another was responsible for jailing me and Ralph Edwards over a dispute arising from a picket line. I’ll let you decide about how impartial they are.

Then there’s Justice Deborah Mortimer, who ordered a Victorian official to pay

Showing the community who we are

a fine out of his own pocket. I wonder if she has ever walked onto a building site to understand the reality of life for our members and the risks they take every day just by turning up to work.

We are running ads on TV to show the community who we really are and what we really do. We are making a push to attract more women into the industry and we are in the final stages of our amalgamation with the MUA.

IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT WE ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND TOUGHEST UNIONS IN THIS COUNTRY.

So, to all our brothers and sisters, I say ‘Be proud’. Put your stickers on the car, wear the t-shirt. Because the CFMEU is a union that delivers.

This Christmas, spare a thought for those families whose loved one didn’t come home from work.

Despite the attacks on us by the courts, the government and the media, the business of looking after the union continues. The campaign on registering and licensing our trades, of eliminating shonky ABNs in order to encourage more apprentices into the industry and, of course, health and safety are our priorities on a daily basis.

Particularly safety.

The high number of fatalities recently shows how dangerous our jobs are.

That’s why we are not scared of bad laws made by anti-union politicians that put our members’ lives in danger.

I wish you and your family a safe and joyous Christmas and a truly happy New Year, and know that we are always by your side.

And remember: Fear stops you.

Courage keeps you going.

Watch the videos at u ourfamily.cfmeu.org.a

THE UNTOLD CLASSIFIED STORIES ADS

Familiar faces on the real CFMEU If you believed the rubbish in the mainstream media, you would have a warped view on the CFMEU and our Members. Fortunately, many people get to know us and the work we do personally, including a few familiar faces. This is what they have to say.

Anne Randall Director, Good Friday Appeal Each year we look forward to 'crane spotting' the colourful array of flags hung proudly in support of the Good Friday Appeal. A heartfelt thank you from the GFA and more importantly, the patients and staff at the Royal Children's Hospital.

Sam Soliman IBF World Middleweight champion In the ring I'm protected by my gloves. On site I'm protected by my Union, the CFMEU!

Moira Kelly AO & all her children, mothers & volunteers Thank you to all at the CFMEU for your kindness and unwavering support to all our children & women in our care. When we need help from you it's a phone call away, and you're here on the spot. We are so grateful to you all.

Martin Pike AFL 4-time Premiership Player Life in the AFL was a tough gig, and so is life in construction. What makes it easy is knowing we've got the CFMEU in our corner. They have our backs on safety and make sure we get a decent wage.

Father Bob Retired Priest, Chairman Fr Bob Maguire Foundation We use a food van, provided by the CFMEU, to feed the poor AND they helped renovate our premises so I can live here. Keep fighting for the safety of our members.

SUMMER 2016

CFMEU WORKER

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INSERT COPY FROM THE PRESIDENT

NO EBA ……

NEXT STEP? PABO Ralph Edwards President

Obtaining a ‘Protected Action Ballot Order’ (PABO) is the only way to take ‘legal’ industrial action under the Fair Work Act 2009.

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his is the Julia Gillard law that was supposed to reverse the Howard Government’s anti-union laws. It turns out union rights did not improve, and all we got was a new bureaucratic process to get the ‘right to strike’.

If your boss won’t sign a new EBA, won’t put out the Representation Rights Notice required by Fair Work Act, and just delays and delays the bargaining process, you end up with two choices: 1. Give up.

2. Ask the Union to start the process for a PABO. However difficult the process, once the ‘protected action’ has been voted in it gives you the right to take industrial action.

Already workers from Kane, ADCO, Wagstaff and CPB, faced with their bosses not signing a new EBA like the majority of the industry, have taken the PABO steps.

The process for taking industrial action 1 Employees sign a petition for a ‘majority support order’ from the Fair Work Commission.

Yes, it is a long-winded, bullshit process imposed by a Labor Government in 2009 and we are stuck with it. Otherwise we face unrelenting prosecutions and big fines as the Turnbull Government tries to bleed us dry.

So if you think your wages and conditions are not up to the new EBA and you want to have a go, talk to your local Organiser or Delegate, and get the process cranked up.

It’s NEVER TOO LATE! So good luck and well done to our members at Kane, ADCO, Wagstaff, CPB and all the others moving to protected action. The fight for wages and conditions goes on!

IT IS A LONG-WINDED, BULLSHIT PROCESS IMPOSED BY A LABOR GOVERNMENT IN 2009 AND WE ARE STUCK WITH IT.

2 The boss gets an order to negotiate, and the Union attempts to negotiate.

3 If negotiations go nowhere, we go back to Fair Work and ask for a PABO. 4 The Australian Electoral Commission conducts a ballot and workers vote for industrial action.

5 Protected industrial action can start.

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CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2016

TURNBULL'S EBA

Turnbull's EBA ur pocket!

get the Libs and their mates out of yo

GEOCON EBA COMPARISON

ENTITLEMENT

GEOCON/CFMEU EA 2014 - 2016

GEOCON NON-UNION EA

THE DIFFERENCE FOR GEOCON WORKERS

Travel Allowance - quantum

Travel Allowance increased by 5% annually.

Travel Allowance fixed for the life of the Agreement.

No increases in travel.

Travel Allowance payment on RDOs

Travel Allowance payable on RDOs.

Travel Allowance not payable on RDOs.

$950.04 per year less for a Geocon employee.

Travel Allowance – application to loadings

Travel Allowance subject to annual leave loading.

Travel Allowance not subject to any loadings.

$127.89 per year less for a Geocon employee.

Superannuation - quantum

Fixed weekly amount (amount greater than 9.5% for a worker at CW3). This amount increased by $6 per year.

Paid at the SGC rate, which is currently 9.5%.

In 2016, the difference is more than $600 for a worker at the CW3 classification.

Redundancy contributions to ACIRT

Weekly contribution rate to ACIRT increased by $9.50 over the life of the Agreement.

Fixed rate for the life of the Agreement.

Less income between jobs.

Living Away From Home Allowance – weekly allowance

$550.00 per week.

$480.00 per week.

$70 per week.

Family Leave

Three additional days per annum for family leave.

Family Leave removed.

Over $800 for a worker at the CW3 classification.

RDOs

Work life balance preserved with 6 nominated lockdown long weekends.

Lockdown weekends removed.

Less rest, less family time, more fatigue.

Casual Employees rates of pay

Casuals receive the ordinary rate of pay plus a loading of 25%.

Casuals receive a rate of $22.50 plus 25%.

$17.56 per hour for a CW3.

Job Security

A job security clause that ensures labour hire is paid the same as employees and cannot be used to undermine wages and conditions.

No job security provision.

Loss of job security.

Award Reference

Award incorporated providing safety net of conditions.

No Award protection.

No safety net.

Payable under the Agreement.

Multi-Storey Allowance removed.

Over $1504.67 per year for an employee at the CW3 classification for the lowest level of Multi-Storey Allowance.

Multi-Storey Allowance

An employee at Geocon who is engaged in the CW3 classification will lose nearly $4,000 the first year of the Agreement. They will also lose a number of other valuable conditions that were protected by the award and the previous Union EBA.

II Turnbull with his mates at Geocon recently

FROM THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY

TO MY FAMILY AND YOUR FAMILY, I SAY THANK YOU Shaun Reardon Assistant Secretary

All of us know the pressures from builders and developers to meet unrealistic deadlines. The long hours, sore bodies and frazzled minds that many of us experience can also affect our relationships with those we love the most – our families.

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t can be a tough life for people building our country’s cities and hospitals, our roads and our schools.

I’d like to pay homage to our delegates, safety reps and officials and, most importantly, their families. For those brave enough to put their hands up to represent their fellow workers in an industry like ours takes a very special person.

Keeping up the fight There are very few days when you don’t have to go toe to toe with a boss to argue for a safer method of work or to get a Member paid properly. Whether it’s a clothing issue, sham contracting or a safety breach, there are not many days we finish feeling mellow.

Our families bind us together, and they also feel the burden of our industry. To rub salt in the wounds, while we continue building

our great state of Victoria and the world’s most liveable city, we have the Liberal Government and their business mates throwing shit at every turn.

Every time we pick up a paper or turn on the TV we are painted as criminals through mistruths and blatant lies. The reality is, we are saving lives out there and if that comes at a cost, so be it.

ONCE WERE PROUD CFMEU delegates at Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) say the place has changed beyond recognition as a result of the company sacking 55 electricians and fitters in June.

D

elegates Dave and Les say that morale in the workplace is terrible and that people fear receiving the

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same treatment given to the sacked workers.

‘There’s 208 workers here and I can tell you that none of them like what’s happened. We turn up every day and watch the guys on the picket and go home looking at our future,’ says Dave.

The culture has shifted According to the delegates a ‘them and us’ culture between the workers and management has taken root.

‘There’s a sign when you walk in the door that says “CUB – known for its positive team culture”,’ Les points out.

‘You can’t help but laugh about that after what they have done,’ Les says.

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2016

TRAGIC LOSS Standing together The year 2016 has been an exceptionally hard one for my family.

To my wife, my son, my daughter and my mother and father, I say thank you.

To endure phone taps of our personal conversations and have our house and travel monitored because of some bullshit political campaign is beyond the pale.

Having to answer questions while shopping about blatant lies printed in the Herald Sun shouldn’t be part of your lives, but it is. Again, I say thank you.

We do this job for a reason. We do it to make construction a better, safer, more civilised industry. We do it so that future generations can benefit from it, not be buried by it.

To everyone: have a safe break. Love and protect your family, and we will see you in 2017 to do it all again. Because we can’t and won’t do anything else.

R.I.P. Ivica Andrijasevic Ivica Andrijasevic, 54, was tragically killed on Wednesday 26 October 2016 after a crushing incident.

The boilermaker, a Stilcon employee, was operating a knuckleboom on the ProBuild Melbourne Convention Centre site.

He leaves behind a wife and five adult children, some are in the construction industry. A well known and liked worker, he was a CFMEU Member for many years before recently moving to the AMWU when employed as a boilermaker with Stilcon.

At the time of the incident, he was working alone welding amongst steel frames.

Workers and an OHS Rep were the first to attend the scene and made an extraordinary effort to rescue Ivica and begin first aid. Thank you to Ian, Manila, Dave, Robert, Rhys, Tommy and Mikey for their great efforts.

Investigations are continuing to determine the full cause of this tragic, fatal incident.

Our most sincere condolences go to the family, friends and workmates of a good man lost.

Dare to struggle, dare to win!

Both men say the campaign against the brewery has affected sales as the word has spread throughout the community.

‘I was talking to a local policeman in my area last week and when I told him I worked at CUB, he knew about the workers.

He said he felt sorry for them,’ Les says.

Workers are united The planned sackings have sickened the workforce and the company’s behaviour has united everyone behind those who have lost their jobs.

‘The company got them to do all the overhauls on the machines about six or seven weeks before the contracts were up and then kicked them out the gate,’ Dave says. ‘These machines aren’t going to break down for years. It was a very cunning strategy. Vicious.’

Les says that everyone wants to see the workers return to their jobs and run the plant in the same manner it used to be run.

‘The guys they have in here now don’t know what they’re doing and they’re breaking all the rules.’

SUMMER 2016

We were proud to work here once, but we all feel let down and dispensable.

The fight goes on Dave and Les both agree that there was no need for the company to do this given that they made $4.4 billion profit in the last financial year.

‘They make all this profit. Why can’t they look after their workers? We were proud to work here once, but we all feel let down and dispensable.’

They admit the campaign has been inspiring and talk about all the support the workers receive. Les gives the example of a pensioner who comes every week and gives the sacked workers $5.

‘This is someone who’s probably doing it tough but is willing to part with his own money in solidarity with the workers.

That makes us all hopeful.’

CFMEU WORKER

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FROM THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY

DYNAMIC TEAM TO PUT MEMBERS FIRST Elias Spernovasilis Assistant Secretary

The recent elections in the Victorian branch of the Executive, Committee of Management and Organisers has delivered a team of experience, commitment and new blood that will enable us to deliver the best outcomes for workers in the industry.

I

n line with our commitment to rejuvenation, we placed a number of young members on the ticket who have been elected alongside more experienced officials. It is a good mix.

I am confident that this team continues the democratic tradition of the union to deliver a representative, independent, transparent, and accountable organisation that puts its members first in everything we do.

Despite the bad publicity and the screaming headlines blaming the union for everything possible under the sun, the leadership of the union was elected unopposed. John Setka and Shaun Reardon were elected for the positions of Secretary and Assistant Secretary while both men face trumped up criminal charges over an industrial issue.

The ringing endorsement of their election means that our members have rejected the propaganda of the Liberal Government and

WE WILL CONTINUE TO REPRESENT YOUR INTERESTS WITHOUT ANY INFLUENCE FROM OTHER UNIONS, EMPLOYERS, OR GOVERNMENTS.

their lackeys in the press and voted for a team they believe will act in the interests of workers.

We are not in this game to be popular with the press or the big end of town.

We are here to fight for your rights and a better deal for you and your family.

As the year draws to a close we can reflect on the positives. Despite the difficult political environment we operate in and a government determined to do away with us in order to trample on your rights, the Victorian branch has delivered a groundbreaking EBA and we have been elected by the membership in a vote of confidence.

That means more to me than anything else.

Congratulations to all those who were elected. I look forward to working with all of you. To our members I say, have a good break and I look forward to working with you all again next year.

PAY YOUR DUESÍ›

COMPETITION WINNER Congratulations to Hayden Scholes from Hoppers Crossing who won the $5,000 travel voucher for paying his dues online.

Thousands of Members joined online, paid their dues or updated their contact details on the new CFMEU VicTas website to enter the competition. Hayden works for Form 700 and was surprised onsite at Southbank Central Apartments by John Setka, Derek Christopher and a big cake with Hayden’s membership card in icing on top.

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CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2016

INSERT COPY

STRONG UNION STRONG WOMEN

full circle Lisa comes

Lisa Zanatta still remembers what she said at her first ever job interview.

S

he was 18 years old, it was a hot day and she had rushed to get there on time. To her surprise, she was met at the door by the boss, who handed her an envelope with a letter saying: ‘Thanks for coming, but you were unsuccessful’.

Lisa was, understandably annoyed. She had sent in her written application for the apprentice carpenter’s position and had been invited for an interview.

‘I expressed my annoyance. He said he didn’t want to employ a female and he didn’t know what I would look like. ‘“What did you think I’d look like?” I asked him. “Did you think I’d have two heads?”’

They got talking and by the end of their exchange, he asked her when she could start. She said that afternoon.

‘I went home and got changed and I started that day.’

Determination pays off This story demonstrates the determination that Lisa Zanatta, the newly appointed Women’s Organiser at the CFMEU, applies to everything in her life.

in new role with union

Joining the CFMEU It was while working for Lewis Construction that Lisa joined the CFMEU, signed up by former Women’s Officer Annie Cowling.

‘Meeting Annie changed my life. She encouraged me and other women to become active in the union and we did a lot during that time.’

Lisa went off the tools for a while and became a trainer, teaching people how to make furniture through a Salvation Army program. She enjoyed it, and after completing her teacher training she landed a job with the CFMEU training unit.

He had seen her on site talking to members and was impressed. He quickly recruited Lisa to work as a CBUS coordinator.

For 16 years Lisa went on sites educating members about their super entitlements and ensuring that employers were compliant. She maintained her CFMEU membership throughout this time and often represented the union at women’s conferences.

Stepping up for women’s rights

It was while she was in that role that she caught the attention of CBUS coordinator Danny Gardiner.

She had a love of carpentry and fixing things that started from a young age, due to the influence of her grandfather, who she describes as a ‘jack of all trades’.

‘I hung out with him a lot.

I had my own toolbox.

When I was 12, he had a stroke and he came to live with us at home.

After that, whenever anything went wrong in the house that needed fixing, he would instruct and I would fix,’ she says.

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CFMEU WORKER

Lisa sees her new role with the union as coming full circle.

‘This is a big role and an important one. I will be identifying the women already working in the industry and what their needs are and

encouraging them to become active.

‘I will also be looking at how to attract young women and how to support them and retain them in the industry,’ she says.

Lisa says there is a deep appetite for change in the union and in the movement as a whole.

‘A lot of things we thought had been dealt with around women’s rights at work and equal pay are back on the agenda. There is a second wave of activism around these issues and the union needs to lead by example.’

Every woman should have the same opportunities as men Encouraging women to skill up Lisa believes the big challenge is respecting women as equal workers in the industry and encouraging them to skill up.

‘I was never discouraged by my parents – who have three daughters – from taking up any opportunity. And every woman should have the same opportunities as men.

‘My dream is to see women working and succeeding in the industry with a long career.

‘I’m confident we can do it.’

SUMMER 2016

UNION AWARDS

CFMEU to boost union awards The Victorian branch of the CFMEU hopes to make the National Union Awards, previously coordinated by the ACTU, the Brownlow of the union movement.

V

ictorian Secretary John Setka made the announcement at the annual John Cummins Memorial Dinner in front of more than a thousand people from the construction industry, the union movement, non-government organisations and the political sector.

The awards will be a central component of the John Cummins Memorial Dinner where winners will be announced in various categories.

‘The ACTU is happy for us to take carriage of this and make them bigger and better,’ said John.

‘It’s something that Cummo would have loved, and it’s an opportunity for the union movement to showcase our best and publicise it.’

The winners will be decided by an independent panel that will be appointed in 2017 in time for the awards next year, and nominations for each category will be publicised to get maximum participation.

Celebrating our achievements ACTU President Ged Kearney said the awards have been an opportunity for the movement to celebrate its achievements.

‘We need to acknowledge and celebrate

the people who commit themselves, often in difficult circumstances, to work at improving working people’s lives.

‘We are happy to work with the CFMEU, and we want the awards to continue to be inclusive and to reflect the national union movement.’

John also announced that the CFMEU will take responsibility of the John Cummins Memorial Dinner, which has been going for 10 years.

Di Cummins, who up until now has taken carriage of the annual event, said it was the right decision for the union to take carriage of it.

‘I know the union respects the legacy of John Cummins.’

It’s an opportunity for the union movement to showcase our best and publicise it

SUMMER 2016

The Memorial Fund raises funds for brain cancer support and for disadvantaged students. All the proceeds from the dinner will continue to go to the fund.

CFMEU WORKER

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INSERT COPY LIBERAL CROOKS

WHO ARE THE

REAL CRIMINALS? The Abbott/Turnbull federal governments have been on a mission to attack workers’ rights by going after unions, but they give the CFMEU extra special attention.

A

royal commission that went for two years, an election called on the failure of Turnbull to pass the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) legislation and the constant smearing of the union in the media are all part of their attempts to create a crisis about us and the industry. Their continual name calling and branding the union as criminals ignores the fact that real crime in the construction industry is being swept under the carpet.

Above the law Major construction companies in the industry routinely break laws and get away with it. Not that

you would know about it from the federal government. They scream that CFMEU officials are criminals for going on sites and doing their job, but not a word is uttered by any of them about the real crimes that are committed by their mates at the big end of town.

IF THE GOVERNMENT WAS FAIR DINKUM ABOUT ADDRESSING CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN THE INDUSTRY, THEY COULD START BY DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THESE LAW BREAKERS.

cas

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CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2016

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e

case

cas

01

02

Leighton Holdings – CMIC

Leighton Holdings changed its name to CIMIC to distance itself from corruption scandals – of which there are numerous.

Between 2010 and 2011 two Leighton Offshore bosses, Russell Waugh and Peter Cox, knew or commissioned varying amounts of wrongdoing from Unaoil, involving huge payments to people in Iraq.

With their boss, David Savage, they then laundered more than $5.5 million through an Indian company to pay bribes of their own, backdating invoices to cover themselves.

Former Leighton executive Stephen Sasse gave evidence at a Senate hearing in April that he had seen a document showing how former Leighton chief financial officer Peter Gregg signed off on a suspect $15 million payment to a Dubai consultant on Leighton’s behalf in 2011.

He also revealed he had signed an affidavit at the request of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) as part of its investigation into Mr Gregg for alleged false accounting offences. Those found guilty of false accounting can face twoyear jail terms.

Lend Lease age

David Sav

Mr Sasse said ASIC made it very clear that they would charge Peter Gregg and that the payment made

by Gregg was ‘without a doubt’ improper or unlawful. Mr Gregg has denied any wrongdoing.

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In 2012 Leighton ordered an internal inquiry, which was damning. That inquiry was then buried. The person who later blew the whistle on it was sacked; the board, including the chair of the ethics committee, appears not to have acted.

In November ASIC launched a major investigation into allegations into the conduct of senior executives and directors at CIMIC Group amid allegations that they breached their duties as directors and failed to expose the existence of a multi-million-dollar bribery scandal.

In November 2014 Grocon formally pleaded guilty to failing to keep a safe workplace following a wall collapse that killed three people in March 2013.

The case, which was heard in the Magistrates Court, meant the company were fined $250,000. The maximum fine would have been $1.1 million if the case had been heard in the County Court.

The fraud involved work on high-profile projects including the September 11 memorial, Grand Central Terminal, the New York Mets stadium and the Brooklyn courthouse (ironically, where the company was charged).

It was considered to be the largest property fraud settlement ever reached in New York City.

In their attempt to win a tender involving a $6.8 billion coal deal, an executive of Thiess (a Leighton subsidiary) hired someone called Reddy who advised Thiess managers about paying $16 million in bribes to Indian officials so the company would win the contract.

Grocon

se

In 2012 Lend Lease agreed to pay up to $56 million in penalties after admitting fraud in the US that included routinely overcharging customers and ignoring minority hiring mandates over a period of 10 years.

The FBI said its investigation revealed ‘a systemic pattern of audacious fraud by one of the world’s largest construction firms’.

The company regularly added up to two hours of unworked overtime to timesheets for labour foremen and charged customers for weeks when foremen were on vacation or off work on sick leave, court papers said.

The government said the company also duped the states of New York and New Jersey into believing it had complied with programs designed to boost the participation of small construction companies and companies owned by women or minorities on public construction projects when it had not.

The company pledged to pay the $US40.5 million penalty, along with restitution of more than $US15 million to victims of the overbilling scheme and to comply in the future with all federal and state criminal laws.

Brother and sister Alexander and Bridget Jones, who were 19 and 18 years old, and French academic MarieFaith Fiawoo, 33, died when a wall on Grocon’s CUB building site in Carlton fell on them in high winds.

Three arms of the Grocon group were each charged with two criminal charges following the collapse.

The CFMEU was fined more than $1 million for speaking out and protesting against Grocon over safety issues.

SUMMER 2016

CFMEU WORKER

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BOB'S BAD DAY

Bob Day’s dirty deals The various revelations that have surfaced about former South Australian Family First Senator Bob Day just after his resignation on 1 November show that the government was prepared to do dirty deals with Day in order to secure his vote for the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

Family First is a party with form on taking away workers’ rights. Former Victorian Senator Steve Fielding cast his all-important vote under the Howard Government to bring in WorkChoices – laws that took away workers’ rights and put families last.

Following in Fielding’s footsteps, Day’s vote has been crucial in securing passage of the ABCC through the Senate.

Learning the truth about Day Bob Day resigned when his housing construction business, Home Australia (which includes Huxley Homes, Ashford Homes, Collier Homes and Newstart Homes) went into liquidation. This left workers, contractors and 200 families without finished homes in the lurch.

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Since then, we have learnt that he received a $2 million federal grant from the Turnbull Government for a training school he is associated with, prompting ALP Senator Doug Cameron to call Day ‘Turnbull’s 2 million dollar man’.

Shadow Attorney General Mark Dreyfus has asked the Auditor-General to investigate how and why this money was given to Day for a program he designed himself and that shifts the costs of training the apprentices to the tertiary sector. The other two beneficiaries were the Master Builders Association and the National Electrical and Communications Association.

This information, made public through the Fairfax media, came after we found out that a financial interest in the building leased for his electoral office may have disqualified him from standing in the election this year. The matter has been referred to the High Court.

When questioned by Senator Doug Cameron, Minister for Education and Training, Simon Birmingham denied meeting with any of the beneficiaries of the grants.

Facebook photos show that Birmingham met with Day in June 2015 while he was Assistant Minister for the same portfolio in which Day was presenting his proposal for his apprentice program.

CFMEU WORKER

The politics of Bob Day A snapshot of Bob Day’s political activity shows he has had a long and deep history in taking away workers’ rights.

Liberal Party member and big donor 1987–2008 Preselected for South Australian seat of Makin, but lost Ran for preselection in Mayo, but was unsuccessful Became chairman of Family First in 2008 Leadership roles in the following conservative, free market, anti-union organisations: • HR Nicholls Society • Samuel Griffiths Society • Mount Pelerin Society • Bert Kelly Foundation • Institute of Public Affairs • Housing Industry Association.

BOB'S BAD DAY

Senator Cameron said, ‘It is inconceivable why Minister Birmingham would attempt to mislead the Senate in an answer to a question on notice when he had met a sitting Senator with a clear, direct interest in obtaining a government grant and upon whom the Turnbull Government relies so heavily for support in the Senate.

‘The process surrounding the grant to Senator Day’s training company, the fact that a sitting Senator was lobbying the Minister for a grant on his own behalf and the fact that the Government is clearly relying on Senator Day’s continued presence in the Senate raises serious questions.’

A dodgy electoral office deal As for the matter relating to his electoral office, it has emerged that the building was owned by Day, who had sold it to an associate for $2.1 million. All along Day insisted that he was paying rent on his office, although he can’t provide any evidence of this.

It has also emerged that Senator Mathias Cormann knew full well before the election that the bank account for rent at the office appeared to be linked to Day. So the government was renting space for Day from a company Day was involved with.

Senator Cormann’s defence has been that he didn’t know that this breached the constitution.

‘THE REAL CRIME HERE IS WHAT IS BEING DONE TO WORKING PEOPLE BY PEOPLE LIKE DAY.’ SENATOR DOUG CAMERON

A long history of anti-unionism Although he first appeared in public life when he ran as a Senate candidate for Family First, Bob Day has been part of the anti-worker, anti-union scene for a long time and was a Liberal Party member and donor for more than 20 years.

Tony Abbott described him as ‘principled and courageous’, but Bob Day’s companies owe a total of $37.8 million, with $19.6 million to subbies, workers and other unsecured creditors. He has made millions of dollars in donations and loans to the Family First political party.

Victorian CFMEU Secretary John Setka said while the Liberal Government spent millions on royal commissions into unions, it was bending over backwards to secure Bob Day’s vote for the ABCC. ‘The dirty deals behind closed doors is coming out now. All of this while the Liberal Government attacked us relentlessly for so-called “criminal behaviour”,’ John Setka said.

‘The real crime here is what is being done to working people by people like Day, who profess to put families first.

‘I’m not sure the families with half-built homes and the subbies left out of pocket feel really confident that Bob Day has put them first.’

HOW BOB CAME UNSTUCK In January 2014, Day tells officials in the Department of Finance that he wants to move offices, citing parking difficulties for his constituents in his CBD office.

The following month the Department officials tell special minister of state Michael Ronaldson that Day owns the building and intends to sell it on condition the office is leased to the commonwealth, and write: ‘Finance has concerns about how such a transaction might be perceived’. They don’t recommend the move.

NED RESIG Ten days later, Bob Day announces his resignation due to collapse of Home Australia.

On 7 October, 2016 the lease is terminated and Scott Ryan seeks independent legal advice from constitutional law expert David Jackson.

TERM INATE D

In March, Day is informed he can move but the commonwealth won’t pay rent and Day has to pay the moving costs.

In June 2014 Ronaldson tells Day that ‘there is no justification whatsoever for the CBD office being closed as a Senator’s office and that Day must pay for any expenses relating to his new office.

TOLD T O PAY

In August 2016, Day speaks to special minister of state Scott Ryan about rent on the office. Ryan seeks further information on the background of the lease and discovers there may be a constitutional breach.

In December 2015 a lease is signed between the building’s new owners and the commonwealth. No rent paid.

On 26 October Day changes his mind saying there is not time to install a replacement before the year’s end, and tweets: ‘Marriage plebiscite legislation, ABCC and our other work is to important to Family First to have a vacant seat for even one day in November.’

The next day, Ryan gets legal advice saying that Day’s election is possibly invalid due to ‘indirect pecuniary interest’. The owner of the building still owes Day money.

Ryan writes to senate president Stephen Parry about the validity of Day’s election.

On 28 October Day reveals that an investor has expressed interest in reviving his Home Australia Group of companies. Flags not resigning if it is successful.

GONE! CFMEU WORKER

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i n n i w deal m s o l e h

A

n old bloke who was the steward was retiring and he recommended me,’ Noel recalls.

‘He said, “I think this bloke will do a good job” and, like an idiot, I said yes,’ he laughs. ‘Because I had no idea what I was getting myself into.’

At the time, he didn’t see himself as a ‘political’ person. His family were working people who always joined a union and had a strong sense of justice.

Joining the union in whatever job he got or speaking out about a wrong wasn’t regarded as a big deal.

Everything that I have is because of my involvement with the union A wake-up call It was as a young man, at the age of 20, while on a job reconstructing a riverbank in Queensland that Noel learned that his views were not necessarily shared by others. He sat down to smoko and saw on the front page of the newspaper a photo of a girl getting hit over the head by a policeman at a protest. It was during the reign of the notoriously conservative premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, who had banned protests.

‘I made a comment about how outrageous it was. They all said “she shouldn’t have been there”. I was gobsmacked that everyone else thought it was all right.’

A fertile training ground The Shell refinery proved to be a good training ground for a new delegate.

Noel remembers it as a ‘hotbed of

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t a e r g a g in n a h t e r o m st

ashington’s life W l e o N t u b e se it at the tim e Federated th r fo te a g He didn’t reali le e . he became a d ery in Geelong n fi re changed when ll e h S e th Union at Iron Workers

union activity’. There were campaigns for amenities, daily fares of travel and airconditioning – all wins secured by the building unions.

And of course safety. Noel implemented proper asbestosremoval procedures after having insulation containing asbestos dropped at his feet by laggers who were working above him.

His ability to fix problems at his workplace caught the attention of the union, who asked him to come on board as an organiser – focusing on recruiting new members and organising workplaces from scratch.

‘People marvel that I lasted five years doing that job, but it was not that difficult with Right of Entry, which enabled you to go into any workplace and talk to workers, whether the boss liked it or not.’

Non-union workplaces presented him with the most issues.

‘Many were in breach of the award. People were being made redundant without any kind of redundancy provisions.’

Improving pay and conditions Noel’s experience taught him that most people accept unions do a valuable job, but, as individuals, they are

reluctant to upset the boss.

‘So you have to demonstrate that the boss can live with it or that the workers’ interests are more important.’

He admits that it’s much harder to organise without Right of Entry, and believes the erosion of this provision has normalised the exploitation of workers. Noel saw this most clearly in Tasmania where he spent the last few years building up the branch before retiring.

‘There’s a whole generation of people who don’t understand what unions are all about.

They have no experience of them. They don’t know that they can do something to improve their pay and conditions.’

Building his good reputation CFMEU organiser Peter Booth first met Noel while he was with the Ironworkers and says he had a good reputation for his organising ability.

‘He’s always been very good at what he does. Always been able to think ahead and know when to jump. I’ve learnt a lot from him over the years. He’s an honest operator.’

John Setka said the EBA for the desalination plant is proof of Noel’s negotiating skills.

‘That deal was negotiated by Noel and it took eight months.’

Danny Gardiner from CBUS Property, who has known Noel since they worked at the Ironworkers together, agrees.

SUMMER 2016

‘Workers benefited from his stubborn approach. He wasn’t everybody’s best friend, but he won a great deal more than he lost.’

Standing up to the ABCC In 2008 Noel made the front page of the newspapers when he refused to attend an interview at the request of

NOEL'S LEGACY ‘And for what? We weren’t being pursued because we were running prostitution rings or part of the international drug trade. We were fighting for better pay and conditions of workers. That same year that I was charged, we had a death a week on sites around Australia.’

In the end the charges against Noel were dropped and no reasons were given. He’d heard he was in the clear from organiser Steve Long, who was told by a boss.

‘Interesting that a boss knew before even I did,’ Noel muses.

Noel’s lasting legacy It’s fitting that Noel ended his work with the CFMEU exactly where he began – organising new workplaces from scratch.

He was the first ever official to stand up to the ABCC. the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) to answer questions about what was said at a barbecue meeting held at lunchtime at a park across the road from a job.

‘He was the first ever official to stand up to the ABCC,’ John Setka said. ‘He was facing a penalty of six months’ jail, but he did not blink.’

Noel says he was acting on principle, having seen the terrible effects of the ABCC on too many people.

‘The ABCC took a while to get going, but once it did, employers got on board enthusiastically. It was outrageous that we were subject to these laws. I saw people break down, in tears and scared to death. People left the industry – there was a toll.

John Setka credits Noel with building up the branch and changing the culture in Tasmania.

‘He created a foothold for us in Tasmania and broke down the Right of Entry issue. We will continue to grow there, but Noel put it all in place.’

Noel who will continue to represent members on the Incolink board and is looking forward to fishing and spending more time with his family.

‘Everything that I have is because of my involvement with the union. It’s incomprehensible that I would have done anything else.’

CFMEU WORKER

019

INSERT THE WEALTHY COPY AND THE WORKERS

A HISTORY OF CLASS STRUGGLE 1791 - 1869

Attacks on workers and their Unions is nothing new. Bosses and their political puppets have been doing what they can to take more profits at the expense of workers for decades.

1870 - 1919

1920 - 1960

1791

1873

1920

Convicts Strike: demanding daily issue of rations, not weekly issue.

The Amalgamated Miners Association formed.

44 hour week awarded to timberworkers and engineers. Others follow suit.

1804

The first Seamans Unions formed in Sydney and Melbourne.

Castle Hill Rebellion: protest on conditions and rations.

1822 James Straighter, convict shepherd sentenced to 500 lashes, one month solitary confinement on bread and water, and five years penal servitude for inciting servants to organise for increased wages and rations.

1828 Masters and Servants Act of NSW provided that: "servants could be imprisoned and have their wages forfeited for refusal to work�.

1829 Typographers, supported by carpenters, successfully strike for payment in sterling, against currency reform, which threatened the value of wages.

1830-1 Shipwrights and boatbuilders unions formed.

1833 Cabinetmakers union formed.

1873

1878

1942

1892

Two weeks annual leave is introduced.

Miners strike in Broken Hill over wage cuts and employment of scabs.

1894 Shearers Union strikes and the Masters and Servants Act is used against the union. Women win the right to vote - for the first time in the world - in South Australia.

1902 Women in NSW and Commonwealth receive the vote.

1946 Wet weather pay.

1948 40 hour week. Queensland Railways strike for 9 weeks. Queensland meat dispute. Prime Minister Chifley restores penal provisions.

1949

Penalty rates for overtime.

1953

1912

1913

Height money introduced. Penal powers over unions give "teeth to the Act", allowing heavy fines and jail sentences to be applied to unions, officials and members who participate in industrial action.

Travel allowance.

1954

1917

Site allowance.

1869

The largest General Strike in Australian history, stretching from August to late October. Almost 100,000 workers took part, protesting wage increases that did not keep up with a huge jump in inflation, war profiteering and the conservative politics of the time.

Men of the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station Victoria demand wage payments for their labour and official tenure of the station.

Union leaders were arrested and services were operated by thousands of scabs, who were recruited from farms and country towns.

The 8 Hour Day Movement is formed by the Stonemasons in Melbourne and Sydney.

1945

1904

Stonemasons union formed.

1856

Paid Break (smoko) in award.

The Coal Strike for 35 hour week and Long Service Leave results in the use of troops under the "National Emergency (Coal Strike) Act".

1850

The Eureka Stockade rebellion results in the deaths of 10 Irish, 2 Scots, 2 Canadians, 2 English, 2 Germans and 1 Australian.

Annual Leave of one week becomes standard. Total Union membership 1,076,600.

The Seamans Union organises the maritime strike against the use of cheap Chinese labour by the Australian United Steam Navigation Company.

Strikes in Brisbane over the Tramways Co. refusal to recognise members' right to wear union badges.

1854

1941

1956 Banning of lead paint. Multi-storey Allowance.

1957 Compulsory safety helmets.

1959 First job safety officer.

1960 Industry Allowance.

 

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1961 - 1983 1963 Annual Leave of 3 weeks becomes standard.

1966 Vincent Lingiari, a Gurindji spokesman, led a walkoff of 200 Aboriginal stockmen, house servants and their families from Wave Hill as a protest against poor work and pay conditions. The strike was part of a widespread campaign supported by non-Indigenous people, including unionists.

1984 - 1999 1984 Job Protection Case. National Occupational Health & Safety Commission is established.

Union membership 3,028,500.

1985 Queensland power industry dispute leads to draconian anti-union law passed by State Parliament.

1969

1986

Union leader Clarence O’Shea is jailed for refusing to pay fines imposed for strikes. One million workers go on the largest post-war strike in Australian history in support of O’Shea and in defiance of the penal powers used against unions.

BLF deregistered. Introduction of universal superannuation for Australian workers.

1987

The ACTU's Equal Pay Case paves the way for women to receive pay equal to that of men performing same duties by 1975.

BLF officials John Cummins, Ralph Edwards and John Setka are jailed for visiting and representing members on site.

1971 Accident Pay (full pay on compo).

Redundancy pay.

1990

1993

1972

Victorian Government introduces legislation to reduce award and union coverage.

First fulltime job safety officers.

1996

1973

Portable sick leave.

Four weeks annual leave.

Conservative Howard Government elected - introduces Workplace Relations Act, reducing workers entitlements under awards and severely limiting unions' capacity to organise and pursue members' interests.

1974 17.5% Annual Leave Loading.

1975 10 days paid sick leave. Daily hire replaces hourly hire.

1976 Building industry long service leave.

1980 Asbestos banned.

1981 38 hour week is achieved in federal Metal Industry and other awards. First RDOs.

1998 MUA dispute - union movement stands together and, with community support, wins a great victory against employer and Government attacks on the right to organise and be a union member.

1999 Second wave of anti-union legislation from the Howard Government is defeated by a combination of union and community activity.

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2000 - present 2002 36 hour week, 26 RDOs. Cole Royal Commission into the building and construction industry targets unions and their members.

2005 Unions launch the Your Rights at Work community campaign against the Howard Government’s proposed new workplace laws. On November 15, more than half-a-million Australians gathered in capital cities and towns in a national day of protest.

2006 Howard Government’s WorkChoices laws come into effect in March, ripping away protection from unfair dismissal, reducing basic workers’ entitlements, and neutering the independent industrial umpire.

2008-2010 Noel Washington and Ark Tribe face jail but are acquitted for refusing to comply with directions of the ABCC.

2009 Labor replaces Workplace Relations Act (WorkChoices) with Fair Work Act that provides collective bargaining rights, protection from unfair dismissal and a robust safety net. Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) abolished. National OH&S Laws.

2011- 2015 8th industry EBA, all overtime paid double-time, wages up 20%.

2012 Labor Government passes legislation to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and replace it with Fair Work Building and Construction (FWBC).

2016-2019 9th industry EBA: wages up 15%, 5 years RDO calendars, allowances up, paid family violence leave, paid parental leave and provisions on casual employment, sham contracting and visa workers.

CFMEU WORKER

021

INDEPENDENT ROAD TEST

Triton

road test

Mitsubishi Triton GLX Double Cab 4x4

By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS

FOLLOWING the closure of Ford’s Australian manufacturing operation in October and the shutdown of Holden’s later next year, the all-Aussie ute will be no more, leaving tradies and fans of the body style to choose between a number of high-selling pickups predominantly built in Thailand.

O

ne of the more popular picks, the MQ Triton, was launched last year in its fifth iteration after a three-year gestation.

Significant engineering upgrades have seen a five-star ANCAP crash-test rating, lower prices in some cases and higher equipment levels throughout.

Our test vehicle was the base Double Cab GLX 4x4 auto, at $39,490 plus on-road costs.

The tray area on the Double Cab is a little wider and higher than before at 1520mm and 1470mm respectively, while the payload is around 935kg. Braked towing capacity is 3100kg.

And there is a decent amount of roadholding too, making the GLX seem stable and controlled in most normal driving conditions – including out on the wintry wet back lots we tested it on.

At speed, the Triton certainly feels foursquare and solid on the road, but there is a small price to pay around town with a quite firm ride, though it isn’t bouncy or unruly as in many lesser utes. The brakes have less pedal travel than before.

The Triton performs brilliantly as a workhorse truck, yet is civilised enough to give the slightly larger Ranger, HiLux and Colorado a real run for their money.

Even in base GLX guise, the Double Cab lacked for pretty much nothing.

Brandishing new bits and pieces like a variable geometry turbo, all-alloy block and a timing chain to replace the previous Triton’s belt arrangement, the 2.4-litre four-pot turbo-diesel delivers slightly more power at 133kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm of torque at 2500rpm.

The engine is quite civilised around town, and beavers away unobtrusively even when your right foot demands a bit more oomph. Plus, the GLX’s fuel consumption average is a commendable 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres.

For a truck with humble leaf springs out back, the Triton sure feels agile, with steering that’s light yet nimble and responsive, and relatively free from kickback. Compared to before, the rack is faster, there are fewer turns lock-to-lock, and effort has been reduced. It just feels more precise and measured – more like a

The 5.2-metre Triton is built on a ladder-frame chassis and sits on a 3000mm wheelbase.

024

regular car’s, in fact.

CFMEU WORKER

The Triton performs brilliantly as a workhorse truck, yet is civilised enough to give the slightly larger Ranger, HiLux and Colorado a real run for their money.

SUMMER 2016

INDEPENDENT ROAD TEST

Ranger

road test

Ford Ranger Wildtrak Double Cab 4x4

By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS

WITH the recent closure of Ford’s Australian manufacturing operation, the company’s best seller – the Ranger pick-up – is effectively now the most Australian vehicle it sells.

B

ack in the late 2000s, the company announced the multi-billion dollar T6 project that resulted in the world’s first Australian-designed and engineered onetonne pick-up.

It might be built in Thailand, but Ford Australia has invested heavily in homegrown research and development in recent years and by the end of 2017, it will be the country’s biggest employer in the automotive sector.

Before us is the range-topping Wildtrak 4x4 from $61,790 with the six-speed auto.

More powerful and refined than before, revisions to the cylinder heads and injectors means the latest 147kW/470Nm 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel feels

a bit more civilised than before. But it still sounds like a truck engine.

That said, a huge well of low-down torque (maximum kicks in at just 3000rpm) and a well-calibrated six-speed automatic transmission means that the Wildtrak is no slouch, leaping off the mark and maintaining a strong and steady pace of acceleration, pretty much for as long as you need it.

We never went off-road in our 4x4 pick-up, but we did tow a trailer and 1100kg car; with a 3500kg capacity, the Ford pulled that along like they weren’t even there, so effortless is the Wildtrak’s torque.

The switch to electric power steering has helped improve fuel economy, though all that oomph on tap meant we never went close to achieving the official figure of 9.2L/100km.

Even though it is a one-tonne pick-up, the Ranger inherits the modern Ford DNA of light yet connected and progressive steering, extremely predictable handling,

controllable road-holding, and a wellmodulated brake system. The Australian team’s many years of testing and calibrating on local roads is why.

But the leaf-spring rear suspension system that allows the latter to happen means that the ride quality on 18-inch alloys can be a bit firm and bouncy over bumps when the truck is unladen.

Only one pick-up in the world has been bred for Australian conditions, and the Ranger is it.

That this one-tonne ute can also drive with such civility, connection, and control is a real tribute to the local engineers and designers.

That there is so little that’s wrong with it – no reach adjustment for the steering and noisy engine under hard acceleration are about the two worst – shows just how relevant Australians still are in the modern automotive landscape. Even when the vehicles created here aren’t necessarily built here.

100% independent reviews by:

GoAuto.com.au

© GoAuto.com.au 2016

CFMEU WORKER

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BLACK• THURSDAY ARMBAND 3/11/16 • In three terrible weeks in October 2016, the Australian construction industry was rocked by the deaths of five workers.

O

n Thursday 3 November, construction workers came together on sites across the country wearing black armbands as a sign of respect for those we’ve lost.

These are the tragedies we paused to remember.

On Thursday 6 October

at around 4 pm, two men were working in a confined excavation at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Queensland. They were installing tilt panels for a large drainage pit. There wasn’t any proper access or egress. They had to enter down an embankment to perform the task.

The grossly inadequate bracing system failed. This caused the first panel (weighing 10 tonnes) to come tumbling down. The workers managed to scramble out of the way. Tragically, within seconds, the second panel came down on top of them, crushing them to death.

There wasn’t any adequate exclusion zone in their work area as a backup, and they had nowhere to go.

On Monday 10 October

while working on Finbar’s Concerto apartment project in Perth, 27-year-old German backpacker Marianka Huemann was applying sealant to speed wall panels surrounding an air duct when she fell 13 floors to her death. She was working for a builder who repeatedly refused the CFMEU legal right of entry to inspect safety concerns and is well known for employing unskilled backpackers in highrisk construction jobs.

implying that it was her fault, and that she would be sorry for ‘letting everyone down’.

On Tuesday 25 October

working on the Porter Street project in Ryde, 55-year-old Iremar De Silva died when he fell approximately 3 metres from a formwork deck onto reo bars. The bars were appropriately capped, but the fall was enough to take his life.

Twenty-eight per cent of deaths in the industry are caused by falls from heights, and again in this case, there was no adequate edge protection.

On Wednesday 26 October

while working on the ProBuild Melbourne Convention Centre expansion a 54-year-old boilermaker was killed in a crushing incident while operating a knuckleboom. He leaves behind a wife and five adult children, some working in the construction industry.

At the time of the incident, he was working alone welding among steel frames. Workers and an OHS Rep were the first to attend the scene and made an extraordinary effort to rescue the crushed worker and begin first aid.

On Black Armband Day, Thursday 3 November, we recognised that every one of these tragic deaths was preventable.

We are reminded that our unity and solidarity as workers plays a big role in safety at work and that we should always stand up and speak out when it’s not safe.

AFTER SMOKO, EVERYONE APPALLED BY TOO MANY FATALITIES. SINCE THE WAR ON TERROR BEGAN IN 2003, 47 AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. IN THE SAME TIME, WE'VE LOST 463 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS. OUT OF THAT, 330 LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE LAST ABCC. Bartolo Scaffidi - Post Entry Quarantine Facility

As if to add to the heartbreak, builder Gerry Hanssen sent a bizarre email to Marianka’s family following the incident

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BLACK ARMBAND DAY

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CH ST R U H C HACER

BUILT & K N A FR YZ O B O T L I RA

RRE A N E C A L BUNJIL P - MULTIPLEX WARREN

OUP R G A M E CR URNE O B L E M PORT

UILD B O R P 1 C VI

ANCK H C S E P RACV CA in memory ofavalle thloste monensiaten.d h women we

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IAN R E T Y B S PRE EGE L L O C S E LADI

OKES O R B S A DALL LTA HALL - DE

R EQ TOWED MELB CB RRE A N E C A L BUNJIL P - MULTIPLEX WARREN

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ONSITE INSERT COPY

LE L I V K R A RP P BUILDCO

LTOdN R A C T S ND Shop Steward Fernanchdotaalkn ing DRUMMO Steve Roa Organiser s. ng on slab panel braci

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ON T G N I M E ICON FL

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chadston INSERT COPY

Congratulations – a big job handed over!

BIG job – BIG hearts Even in the busy last weeks of the Chadstone job, CFMEU Members were willing to generously dip into their pockets for a fellow worker in need.

A

lkin Gonzales was getting his daughter a medical check-up when he decided to get himself checked out at the same time. Soon after, he was diagnosed with a form of Leukaemia.

Peter, a friend of Alkin’s, took him along to the Union to see who could help. Not only was Alkin facing a life-changing diagnosis, he had been done over by a company and was only working 20 hours a week as a cleaner.

Huge credit to all the Members at Chadstone for a great job and big hearts.

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II Peter, John, Steve, Alkin and CFMEU WORKER Brad

SUMMER 2016

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ITY S R E V I N U MONASH EX - FORM700 MULTIPL H OAKLEIG

GOOD FRIDAY APPEAL

KIDS ART COMPE A huge thank you to all the children who entered our art competition for the 2017 flags and bandanas.

Congratulations to our winner Ruby Buckler! At just seven years old, Ruby entered a great drawing.

She wins a $2,500 Flight Centre voucher for her family. Have a great holiday!

State Secretary John Setka presented Ruby with her prize at a St Luke’s Primary School assembly in front of more than 200 kids.

He was joined by Anne Randall, director of the Good Friday Appeal.

r s up Runne ovie m d e receiv nated o d s t ticke SU A b y t he

Look out for the flags, bandanas and t-shirts featuring Ruby’s artwork in early 2017 and give generously. We’re doing it for the kids!

Alessia Dematteo age 12

Alana bergam age 9

Bree Mckinnon age 11

lily smith age 11

claire frewen age 12

bree downs age 6

charli pereira age 7

chloe creedon age 10

II Congratulations Ruby!

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GOOD FRIDAY APPEAL

ETITION WINNER zoe tesoriero age 11

nichola milleri age 12

aimee webb age 9

jeremy zakhour age 10

hannah braentel age 12

ella mozjerin age 6

the big push for T $1,000,000

After a record-breaking effort in 2016 raising $200,000 for the Royal Children’s Hospital in Victoria, CFMEU members are gearing up to reach the landmark $1,00,000 figure over seven years.

he Hard Hat Hankie appeal is the CFMEU fundraiser for the Good Friday Appeal. Over six years, the CFMEU has raised $825,000 by selling flags, bandanas, t-shirts and wristbands, passing around buckets on site and through raffles.

‘We are involved in a number of community ventures, but the Good Friday Appeal is by far and away the one that everyone feels most passionate about. Many of our members are fathers and they know first-hand the valuable work of the hospital,’ said State Secretary John Setka.

SUMMER 2016

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It’s abou&t equalityt respec

EQUAL AT WORK EQUAL AT HOME

Family Violence Awareness National Week of Action Family violence is a problem that affects all of us: women, children and men. As a union with many male members, we want to raise awareness and be part of eliminating family violence for our benefit and for the benefit of the community at large.

As a union we strive to improve quality of life for working people. We know that we can drive change that benefits us all. We all need to learn, understand and make a difference individually.

It is up to all of us to oppose violence against women and promote a culture of non-violence and respect in our community.

How common is violence against women?

Rates of violence against men and women since the age of 15:

1in3

Australian women had experienced sexual violence

1in6 The CFMEU has utilised the material of: Monashlink, VicHealth and City of Monash

Australian women had experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner

1in22

Australian men had experienced sexual violence

1in19

Australian men had experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner

1in4

1in7

1in3

1in2

Australian women had experienced emotional abuse from a current or former partner

Australian women had experienced physical violence. The vast majority of which is perpetrated by men they know

Australian men had experienced emotional abuse from a current or former partner

Australian men had experienced physical violence. The vast majority of which is perpetrated by men they know

- Eight out of ten women aged 18 - 24 were harassed on the street in the past year - At least one woman a week is killed by a partner or former partner in Australia - Domestic violence is the leading cause of death and injury in women under 45

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CFMEU WORKER

Women of all ages, cultures, backgrounds and economic situations in Australia can experience violence.

Every week in Australia a woman is murdered by her partner or ex-partner.

Violence against women includes...

• Economic, psychological, emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

• Intimate partner violence is often used to describe violence against a current or previous partner.

• Family violence and domestic violence are broader terms that refer to violence between family members as well as violence between intimate partners.

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EQUAL AT WORK EQUAL AT HOME

Who commits violence against women?

Research shows that most violence against women is perpetrated by a man who is known to them, such as a current or former intimate partner, an acquaintance or a relative. In comparison, men were more likely to be assaulted by a stranger (70% of assaults) and in

the majority of cases by a male perpetrator. Intimate partner violence is most often confined to the home, ‘unseen’ by others and the community, and can include multiple forms of assault, abuse and threats that can escalate in severity over time.

What causes violence against women?

Violence against women exists due to: • Inequalities between men and women across all levels of society (eg: relationships, workplaces, media, sport) • Explicit and subtle power imbalances between women and men • Rigid expectations and attitudes (stereotypes) about what it means to be a ‘man’ or a ‘woman’

••• Alcohol, other drugs and mental health issues are not the underlying causes of violence against women, but contribute to the frequency or severity of violence. The use of violence against women is a choice that men make. Men always have a choice.

While most men do not use WHAT CAN WE DO? violence against women, all men  We can declare that violence against women can play a part in preventing it is never acceptable.  Work alongside women in ending violence against women.  We should be talking, with our mates, our sons, our families. Women and girls need respect and need to be treated as equals. We also need to be having the public conversations, using our influence where we can.  Men need to help other men understand that violence against women is fuelled by attitudes and beliefs that women are worth less than men, or are the property of men.

If you are in need of urgent assistance call 000 The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) - is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

National: Mates in Construction - 1300 MIC 111 In Victoria: Incolink - 03 9668 3061 or 0419 568 605 MUA Contact: Hunterlink - 1800 544 654

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ASBESTOS INSERT COPY ASBESTOS A LONG AND DIRTY HISTORY

A NEW FIGHT WITH A LONG HISTORY Throughout history, the construction industry has wreaked significant damage on lives, bodies and life expectancy.

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ilicosis was suffered by stonemasons – many of whom died before they turned 40; people fell and still fall from heights to their death; lead poisoning was an occupational hazard of painters; and plasterers and concreters suffered from dust on the lungs.

In Australia, asbestos is in a class of its own due to the widespread manufacture and use of the product for most of the 20th century, exposing thousands of workers across generations to asbestos-related diseases – asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

We’ve known about the dangers for a long time…

Asbestos has been used since ancient Egyptian times, although recorded awareness of its detrimental health effects didn’t occur until the late 1800s when safety inspectors in

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Britain noted the problem with asbestos dust.

This was around the same time that major asbestos mines opened in South Africa, Russia, Italy and the US.

II (Below) common asbestos products for the home

The problems were identified fairly quickly by government health authorities and ‘better ventilation’ was advocated for, but not always introduced.

In 1926 the first successful worker’s compensation claim happened in relation to working with asbestos in the US. There were soon reports from government officials on asbestos in relation to James Hardie workers in Western Australia and, in 1939, respiratory disorders were identified among the workforce.

In 1936 Lang Hancock began mining operations of blue asbestos in Wittenoom – taken over in 1948 until 1966 by CSR.

II Lang Hancock

Linking asbestos to cancer In the 1940s information was coming forward both in Australia and the US about the health dangers of asbestos and its link to cancer. Reports were suppressed by employers and manufacturers and recommendations for change were largely ignored.

One of the most notable reports in the Australian context was the work of Dr Eric Saint, who told Wittenoom Mine management and the Western Australian health department as far back as 1948 about asbestosis. Nothing was done.

Between 1960 and 1965 there were more than 100 cases of mesothelioma out of Wittenoom alone.

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Asbestos in our homes Despite CSR closing the mine in Wittenoom in 1966, two years later asbestos was being placed into the roofs of homes in Canberra for insulation.

The company, called Mr Fluffy, also sold sacks of asbestos fibre to homeowners so they could insulate their homes themselves.

Between 1945 and 1955 Australian production of fibro

SUMMER 2016

II Kids just love Asbestos Man!

II (Left and below) Mr Fluffy ad, and a Mr Fluffy roof cavity

II With the micronite filter - oops, I mean Asbestos filter!

ASBESTOS A LONG AND DIRTY HISTORY disease by the 1980s.

Due to the large number of workers contracting asbestosrelated illnesses, the company eventually acknowledged that they had known about the danger of asbestos for some time. In fact, company doctors had identified workers with health issues relating to asbestos and the workers themselves were not told. They deliberately hid the dangers, and when they could no longer do that, they tried to play down the seriousness of the problem.

It was not until 2003 … that unions were able to secure a ban on the importation of asbestos While people were dying, none of the promotional material for the public or the handling guides for workers said anything about the harm of asbestos.

Unions fighting back The union campaign against asbestos began in earnest in the late 1960s. In 1967 New South Wales added asbestosis to the conditions covered by its Compensation Act.

sheeting from asbestos cement trebled from 8 to 23 million square meters.

By 1961 one in every six houses was made from asbestos fibro.

By 1987, it was estimated that one in three houses contained asbestos.

Problems at James Hardie James Hardie – the biggest manufacturer of asbestos in Australia for most of the 20th century – produced almost 50 per cent of the claims brought by workers for asbestos-related

In 1968, newspaper reports about a US survey highlighting the extent of asbestos-related illness sparked the ACTU to call for an investigation into the dangers of working with asbestos products. In Queensland members of the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) took up the concern as the Building Trades Group promoted awareness of how poisonous this commonplace substance was.

Queensland building unions put out an ‘ASBESTOS KILLS’ leaflet in 1970. Queensland set limits on emissions in 1971,

SUMMER 2016

INSERT COPY

followed in other states by 1979. The idea that workers could swallow a few fibres was abandoned when information came forward that there was no safe level.

Employers were still accepting assurances from manufacturers about asbestos because it was economically advantageous for them to do so. Employers used the cheapest and hence most deadly methods of working with the material.

As author and social commentator Humphrey McQueen has noted, the cover up was typical of the ways in which employers and government approach workplace safety. ‘The employers began by denying a problem, while their governments did nothing.

When governments did eventually introduce some rules, they did little to enforce them.’

Unions took matters into their own hands. Throughout the 1970s, there were multiple campaigns by the building unions in every state, including industrial action, boycotts and working with the community to promote awareness, particularly about the dangers of asbestos removal.

By 1987, it was estimated that one in three houses contained asbestos In for the long haul

II Bernie Banton was the widely recognised face of the campaign to achieve compensation for the many sufferers of asbestos-related conditions

It was a long battle. Right into the 1980s, building companies such as John Holland were making labourers work with asbestos cement sheeting with no protection.

The safe methods and protective clothing for asbestos removal was actually researched, developed and implemented by the building unions themselves.

It was not until 2003, some 20 years after the manufacture of asbestos in Australia that unions were able to secure a ban on the importation of asbestos.

The fight continues today.

Asbestos continues to be mined and manufactured in Russia, Kazahkhstan, Brazil, China, India and Indonesia. Asbestos anywhere is a risk to people everywhere.

Asbestos is being imported in cheap building products and every day construction workers and tradies face the risk of asbestos exposure where audits and removal has not been undertaken properly.

Find out more and get involved: cfmeu.org.au/asbestos

It was a very contested space.

The media, governments and employers accused the unions of being unreasonable and labelled them as ‘extremists’ because their hardline attitude to protective measures for working with asbestos was adding to the cost of building.

CFMEU WORKER

039

HAZELWOOD SHUT DOWN

walking

for the Valley Tim Wallace, Earthworker Cooperative

The Hazelwood power station and coal mine in the Latrobe Valley will close in April, resulting in the immediate loss of 500 jobs and many more to follow.

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n making the announcement, majority owner Engie blamed both difficult market conditions in Victoria and its global strategy to end all coal activities and concentrate on low-carbon forms of power generation.

Around the world, the writing is on the wall for jobs and communities based on coal as nations move to curb the carbon emissions

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driving global warming.

The Australian trade union movement acknowledges the inevitability of this but argues that there must be a ‘just transition’. This transition would include concrete plans for new industries to provide secure employment in affected coal-mining regions and communities.

Walking for awareness To raise awareness about the need for a just transition, members and supporters of the Earthworker Cooperative undertook a 100 km week-long walk from the outskirts of Melbourne to the heart of the Latrobe Valley in September.

The ‘Walk with the Valley’ took us through the townships of Nar Nar Goon, Tynon, Bunyip, Longwarry, Drouin, Warragul, Yarragon and

Trafalgar. We ended the walk in Morwell – the epicentre of Victoria’s fossil-fuel energy industry – surrounded by the Yallourn, Hazelwood and Loy Yang coal-fired power stations, their associated open-cut mines and the state’s secondand fourth-largest gas-fired power stations.

We walked in solidarity with the communities of the Latrobe Valley in the face of the inevitable move away from high-polluting power generation to cleaner energy sources. We hoped to raise general awareness about the need for government action at all levels to take care of the communities that have powered Victoria for the best part of a century.

The idea of the walk was inspired by the founder of Earthworker Cooperative, Dave Kerin, a veteran union activist and now proud, retired member of the CFMEU. He’s been on his own ‘long walk’ over several decades, looking to

CFMEU WORKER

find common ground where the union and green movements can work together on the battleground of jobs versus the environment.

The rise of worker cooperatives The journey has not been without missteps and the need for reorientation, but Dave is now confident that, with Earthworker attracting a new generation of young men and women, he can make the vision of ‘worker cooperatives’ a reality in Australia.

Worker cooperatives sustain jobs and build local communities by creating businesses that balance the needs of people before sheer profit-seeking. Under this model, conflicts of interest between owners and workers (and the communities where the workers live) are minimised by the fact that the workers are the owners.

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k to a II Long wal

on

just transiti

Cooperatives and other types of member-owned organisations such as mutual societies have a long history in Australia. Though the cooperative sector has been hollowed out in recent decades by demutualisation (when member-owned societies become public companies owned by shareholders), more than 13 million Australians

WE WALKED IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE COMMUNITIES OF THE LATROBE VALLEY continue to benefit from membership of at least one of more than 1,700 consumerand producer-owned mutual enterprises.

The time has come Worker-owned cooperatives are few and far between in Australia when compared with growing numbers in countries like India, Argentina, Spain and even

II Father Bo

b offers his su

the United States. But it is an idea whose time has come.

In 2012 the ACTU Congress endorsed the International Labour Organisation’s support for cooperative formation as a proven way to create and sustain employment, saying, ‘Manufacturing hopes rest on union-supported cooperative ventures’.

Earthworker’s immediate mission is to establish Australia’s first worker-owned manufacturing cooperative in Morwell, making renewable energy technology including solar-ready hot-water tanks.

The executive director of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, has described the initiative as ‘an innovative and practical way to address climate change whilst providing dignified, community-sustaining livelihoods – an exciting and tangible step in a “just transition”, and an inspiring example of cleaner, fairer economies.’

SUMMER 2016

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A demonstration of vision As circumstances had it, the first news of Engie’s decision to close the Hazelwood power station broke on the second-last day of our walk.

In Trafalgar, television news crews and newspaper reporters intercepted the group for ‘vision’ and comments. The next day The Sunday Age carried a prominent photo of the walkers on page 3.

A caption described us as ‘protesters’.

r

s in Trafalga

II News crew

‘The Earthworker Cooperative for me is an exciting project because it works to do that in an innovative and different way, to sustain communities and provide livelihoods that are democratic and dignified, and to work our way out of the challenges we face.’

Find out more at: earthworkercooperative. com.au

The description did not sit well with Dan Musil, secretary of the Earthworker Cooperative.

Standing in the middle of Morwell’s main shopping strip, Hazelwood’s smokestacks visible in the distance, he gently but firmly declared: ‘We’re not here to protest. This is a demonstration of vision and a declaration of hope.’

Dan went on to say, ‘We need new industries and new opportunities in places like the Latrobe Valley.

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G N I K C TRA L L U B N R TU INSERT COPY

‘Malcolm ‘Fizza’ Turnbull hasn’t achieved much beyond becoming even less popular than Tony Abbott, but when he does do something it will either hurt working people, take from disadvantaged Australians or benefit his big business mates.

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ppointed numerous A Liberal Party members, staffers and donors to high paying government jobs

Instead of helping the tens of thousands of Australians who are out of work and desperate to find a job, Malcolm Turnbull and George Brandis have instead been busy appointing a range of failed Liberal candidates, ex-staffers and party donors to high-paying positions on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

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old out professional S firefighters for political advantage

During the federal election in July, Malcolm Turnbull was so desperate for any political advantage in Victoria that he got himself needlessly involved in a local workplace negotiation between the Melbourne Fire Brigade and their firefighters, without ever being able to properly explain the problem that he was trying to fix.

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imited legal rights for L veterans to challenge decisions for support for rehabilitation or compensation

People who have served in the army, navy or air force deserve to be treated with respect when they return home – especially if they need rehabilitation or compensation.

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We’re holding him accountable by tracking the bad decisions and keeping a record.

Read the full list here: trackingturnbull.com

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ook away the bonus T paid to unemployed people who find and stay in a job

Getting into the workforce should be rewarded, surely? But now the government is effectively punishing those who stay in a job for one or two years by taking away the job commitment bonus that could have paid successful job seekers $6,500.

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ade it harder for M families with dependent children to receive Youth Allowance or Abstudy

Family budgets are being pressured all around the country, but instead of helping, the government is cutting.

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Closed the National Health Performance Authority

The authority was tasked with monitoring and reporting on the performance of public and private hospitals, primary healthcare organisations and other bodies that provide healthcare services to the community.

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I ncreased the cost of private health insurance for some people

Changes in the omnibus savings bill have frozen the income thresholds for the Medicare levy surcharge and Private Health Insurance Rebate, so wage increases are eaten up with paying a higher surcharge or extra for health insurance.

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emoved Family Tax R Benefits A and B for some families and government-funded paid parental leave for others

The income limits for family tax benefits and paid parental leave have not adjusted for wage growth in seven years.

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Reduced income support payments for low income families on paid parental leave

Social security payments for parents receiving parental leave payments or Dad and Partner Pay have been cut, so 5,000 families will experience a partial loss of income support.

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Reduced financial support to carers of a child with a disability

A person caring for a child with a disability or adult whose disability is due to acute onset will no longer be able to receive payments for the 12 weeks prior to lodging a claim for carers allowance.

SUMMER 2016

MALCOLM FIZZA TURNBULL

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bolished the Family Tax A Benefit A end of year supplement for many families

Families with adjusted taxable incomes above $80,000 will now miss out on this valuable support payment that many have relied on to help meet rising education and healthcare costs.

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ut incomes of low C income families and Commonwealth Senior Health Card Holders by removing the Energy Supplement

Seniors on fixed incomes and families who receive the Family Tax Benefit are facing rising living costs, and the last thing they need is any cut to their income – but that’s what the government has delivered.

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ut $500 million funding C from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency

The Turnbull Government tried to cut 1.3 billion dollars from ARENA’s budget, but a last-minute deal with the ALP has managed to limit the damage.

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roke an election promise B by scrapping the $500,000 super cap

One of Malcolm Turnbull’s core election commitments was to reform the superannuation system by limiting the tax benefits enjoyed by the richest Australians.

Now he’s caved in to his backbench and left some of the most generous handouts intact.

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ried to prevent a ban on T nuclear weapons

No matter our political differences, you think we’d all be able to get together on the idea that nuclear bombs are bad, right? Well you’d be wrong.

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ut the ASIC corporations P registry up for sale

The privatisation of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission registry constitutes a genuine threat to the ability of civil society and journalists to conduct investigations into the illicit and unethical activities of businesses.

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I gnored 2000 incident reports from Nauru that include the abuse of children

The Guardian’s release of 2,000 incident reports from the Immigration Detention Centre on Nauru revealed horrific and confronting accounts of child abuse and neglect, which Malcolm Turnbull has all but ignored.

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efused to set up a Royal R Commission into the banking industry

Australia’s big banks have been under fire for several years for practices exposed as exploiting customers, wrongfully denying insurance coverage, rigging mortgage rates and swallowing interest rate windfalls, all while their profits have nearly doubled since 2008.

SUMMER 2016

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ppointed a controversial A judge as the Royal Commissioner into the abuse of children in NT detention who is forced to resign after widespread condemnation

Following widespread outrage at the systemic abuse of Indigenous and other children at the hands of Northern Territory youth justice services, Malcolm Turnbull decided to appoint controversial former NT Chief Justice Brian Martin to head the subsequent royal commission.

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043

WORKERS GET TRUMPED

U.S. UNIONS VOW TO FIGHT WITH ‘FRESH URGENCY’ FOR WORKING PEOPLE

A little known event took place a week before the recent American presidential election. The US National Labor Relations Board ruled that Donald Trump had broken the law by refusing to bargain with unionised workers employed at his International Hotel in Las Vegas.

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he workers now find themselves in a situation where their boss is about to become the president of the United States, who won, in part, on the promise of helping working people.

It was one of the reasons why people in the US and around the world were shocked by Trump’s victory.

The president of the peak union body AFLCIO, Richard Trumka, said that the result was an indictment of politics as usual where political elites have embraced policies that hold down wages, increase inequality, diminish opportunity and shift jobs to lower wage countries.

“We will never stop striving to represent everyone, fighting for basic human dignity, expanding our diversity and growing our ranks to give working people a strong, united voice.”

Richard Trumka AFL-CIO

Trump’s promises to workers Trump managed to resonate with disaffected working people who have been left behind due to economic policies that have favoured the wealthy. Claiming he would ‘make America great again’, he committed to restoring jobs that have been lost through globalisation.

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Mr Trumka said he accepted that ‘democracy has spoken’ and was willing to work with the new president in relation to promises he made during the election campaign on restoring jobs and building national infrastructure.

‘But make no mistake,’ he added, ‘the labour movement is committed to defending American democracy and safeguarding the most vulnerable among us.’

‘We will never stop striving to represent everyone, fighting for basic human dignity, expanding our diversity and growing our ranks to give working people a strong, united voice,’ he said, vowing to fight with renewed vigour.

A protest vote for Trump?

In a speech to the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO following the election, Democrats Senator for Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, agreed that many people lodged a protest vote for Trump out of frustration.

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WORKERS GET TRUMPED

“People have a right to be angry that wages have been stagnant for a generation, while basic cost of living such as housing, healthcare and education have skyrocketed.”

Elizabeth Warren Democrats Senator for Massachusett

‘Exit polls showed that the overwhelming majority of people believe that the American economy is rigged for the rich and the powerful,’ she said.

Senator Warren told union leaders that ‘people have a right to be angry that wages have been stagnant for a generation, while the basic cost of living such as housing, healthcare and education have skyrocketed’.

Returning the Democrats to their roots Senator Warren, who with leading Democrats Senator Bernie Sanders is campaigning for the Democratic Party to break loose from its corporate establishment ties, has joined with the union movement to fight for a better deal for working people.

Bernie Sanders wants the Democratic Party

to ‘once again’ become a grassroots party of working people, the elderly and the poor.

‘We must open the doors of the party to welcome in the idealism and energy of young people and all Americans who are fighting for economic, social, racial and environmental justice,’ he said.

A call for economic reform In an opinion piece for the New York Times after the election, Mr Sanders called for reform to the economic system and took a shot at Mr Trump for not paying any taxes.

‘Let’s rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and create millions of well-paying jobs.

Let’s raise the minimum wage to a living wage, help students afford to go to college, provide paid family and medical leave and expand social security.

‘Let’s reform an economic system that enables billionaires like Mr Trump not to pay a nickel in federal income taxes.

And most important, let’s end the ability of wealthy campaign contributors to buy elections,’ he wrote.

In the meantime, spare a thought for the workers in Trump’s hotel trying to get their boss to negotiate with them for a fairer deal.

“Let’s reform an economic system that enables billionaires like Mr Trump not to pay a nickel in federal income taxes.”

Bernie Sanders Democrats Senator for Vermont

How he deals with this might give us an idea how honest he was in his appeal to union members during his campaign.

Trump’s never supported unions before, and with a vice president in Mike Pence, who has consistently opposed raising the minimum wage, it looks like those 500 workers are facing an uphill battle.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Youth Projects fresh start backed by Hickory Members Homeless charity Youth Projects in Hosier Lane got a boost thanks to the generosity of CFMEU Members on Hickory jobs.

The team managing the upgrade consists of young building graduates who are stepping up to take leading roles.

Youth Projects provides critical services to young homeless people, such as showers, clothes, food and toiletries that allow people to live, meet their basic needs and take the next step to get life back on track with a ‘fresh start’.

H

ickory are already donating services to upgrade the Youth Projects facilities, along with subcontractors, suppliers and consultants.

Members was again on display, with a huge collection of the required groceries, new clothes, new underwear, razors, deodorant, tooth brushes and toothpaste and more.

Great effort from the Members and shop stewards on Hickory jobs!

The generosity of CFMEU

MEET YOUR ORGANISER lsen Adam O

Newly appointed Victorian organiser Adam Olsen is back in his home state after spending six years working as an organiser with the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) and the CFMEU in Queensland.

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dam initially went to Queensland on a surfing trip and ended up on a job as a concreter in Brisbane, where, as fate would have it, workers on the job were in the process of getting an EBA.

‘Kane Pearson was the delegate and I got to know him pretty well,’ recalls Adam.

‘Kane went on to become an organiser and when he walked onto a job I was working on, he asked me to become a delegate.

‘I knocked it back because I didn’t think I would be good enough, but I had the support of the other workers and Kane basically insisted,’ he laughs.

Getting started Adam grew up in Camperdown in Victoria’s western district.

He left school when he was 15 and started working in the construction industry as a concreter.

He joined the union when he was 16 after the delegate on his first job approached him about membership.

‘It was not an unfamiliar thing to me. My dad gave me enough money for food and a union ticket when I left for Melbourne, so I was brought up understanding the importance of unions.’

Seeing it all Adam had the opportunity to work all over the state while he was in Queensland. He organised on the Gold Coast, Brisbane, North Queensland and in the west on the Toowoomba border.

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The worst thing about this job is having to deal with dickhead employers…

‘It’s given me the experience of seeing the different workplaces and the conditions where people work,’ he says. ‘I’ve seen the worst.’

Adam believes the best thing about being an organiser is the ‘little things’.

‘You get back pay for some guy who’s been screwed for years and they’re forever grateful.

‘The worst thing about this job is having to deal with dickhead employers – people who know nothing about the industry trying to cut every corner, rort every worker.

‘These are people without any compassion for working people. They’re the worst.’

Assistant Secretary Elias Spernovasilis said Adam would make a great addition to the team in the branch.

‘He has experience and enthusiasm.’

SUMMER 2016

GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL

REMEMBERING our diggers and nurses in

LEMNOS The CFMEU has been a major contributor to commemorating a little known facet of the Gallipoli campaign that highlights the work of our nurses.

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hile all Australians are familiar with the significance of the Gallipoli campaign in which 50,000 Australian troops took part, what is not well known is the role of the Greek island of Lemnos in this important chapter of Australian war history.

Remembering our fallen heroes To mark the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign, a bronze memorial sculpture has been erected in Albert Park. The sculpture is dedicated to the nurses and soldiers who served on Lemnos during the war.

Soldiers on the island formed cricket and football teams during their stay and were entertained by the YMCA, who organised concerts.

One of the most celebrated events on Lemnos was the marriage of Sergeant

A little island with a big history Lemnos was the principal assembly and supply point for the Gallipoli landings and was the location of our major nursing stations. In fact, Lemnos was the site of the first overseas deployment of Australian nurses to a war theatre.

Lemnos, in the Aegean Sea, was chosen as the staging point for the Gallipoli landing because it has one of the best harbours in the Aegean and is very close to the Gallipoli peninsula.

In 1915 the island supported several Anzac camps that provided major resting and medical facilities for our troops.

The island is still home to the graves of 148 Australian soldiers – among them workers who were members of building industry unions.

Every year in Lemnos, the locals gather to commemorate the Anzacs.

Ernest Lawrence and staff nurse Clarice Daley in the church camp. Both of them survived the war and went on to live in Elwood in Victoria.

CFMEU Secretary John Setka said that the union wanted to be involved, along with the ETU, because it is part of Australian history.

‘Lemnos should be part of the Anzac trail.

It’s about the men who served in the war and the women who went there to preserve life.’

Forming enduring bonds Greeks living in Lemnos at the time also experienced upheaval as a result of the war. Thousands of labourers from Lemnos and neighbouring islands were employed by the Allies to build the infrastructure needed to transform Lemnos into an army base. Piers were built around Moudros Bay to allow the ships to land their cargo – in particular the wounded shoulders.

The Australians also provided medical care to the locals at their hospitals. One Australian nurse provided the latest midwifery advice to local midwives through a local priest, who acted as an interpreter.

Lemnos was probably the first time that ordinary Australians and Greeks were brought together, and the legacy has endured in a number of ways.

The town of Lemnos near Shepparton was established in 1927 and was named after the Greek island due to the insistence of Gallipoli veteran Ernie Hill, who had gone to Lemnos many times for rest and recuperation.

And, every year in Lemnos, the locals gather to commemorate the Anzacs who are buried there to ensure those who died fighting for their country are not forgotten.

John Setka said the CFMEU wants to do more to raise awareness about the sacrifices soldiers made – and continue to make – for their country.

‘Many of us aren’t aware of the experience of people who serve in the armed forces, and they are an important part of our society.’

s p i t e i s s a T s Kev The summer months are the perfect time to get out and get fishing.

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ork often keeps us away from the more fun pastimes and spending time with family. Fishing is the perfect time to catch up with those closest to us.

Combine it with a camping holiday and what could be better than a fishing trip?

Especially to Tassie. Just ask old stalwart and recent retiree Noel Washington.

As you might know, Washo (as he is better known around the industry) has recently retired after 25 years with the union, first with FEDFA and, after amalgamation, the CFMEU.

Making an impact on the Apple Isle Washo spent his last four years or so with the CFMEU in Tassie,

where he made a real impact after many years of inactivity and decline.

An increase in membership and a good foundation of EBAs were his main claims to fame, but the new respect that the union has earned from employers and members alike must surely be the crowning glory.

It certainly puts the branch on a good footing for the future.

Good journalism deserves honesty, and while Washo made an impact on the local bosses through his union work, the local fish had nothing to fear.

In fact he only hit his straps fishing-wise when the fish realised he was returning to Victoria to retire.

In true Washo style though, he wasn’t away for long and has recently spent a week in Tassie where he even managed to bag a couple of beauties! He nearly even smiled!

Wishing him all the best In all seriousness though, Washo has been great for CFMEU members in Tassie and has set us up nicely for the future.

On behalf of all the members in Tassie and Vic, we wish him all the best for his future on the sunny shores of Lake Purumbete.

Train Stephen Pedley

Although a carpenter by trade, Stephen Pedley has done myriad jobs in the building sector here and overseas, in both the domestic and commercial sectors.

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t one stage when there was a lull in the housing industry, he had a shot at making aluminium windows. He has worked for the public housing sector in the UK and for insurance companies in Australia.

The beast awakens!

When he enrolled in the Health and Safety Representative course through the CFMEU Training Unit a decade ago, he didn’t know that it would awaken a thirst for learning. That thirst has led him to complete several courses: Training and Assessment, Certificate 4 in OHS and a Certificate 4 in Building and Construction (done through another provider).

All of this learning has led to his current position where he works in project management, inspecting sites as part of quality control and safety compliance.

‘I go on site and sort problems out.

If I see that something is wrong, I’ll say “pull it down and start again”.’

‘I apply the same approach to safety. There are no short cuts.

Things sometimes take longer when there are no easy fixes, but that’s the way it is.’

He has also bedded down the policies and procedures for return to work for people who have been on workers compensation.

Quality training ‘Having the type of quality training that I got at

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SUMMER 2016

TRAINING FOR EVERYONE

ning for life ‘WHEN YOU GO BACK ON SITE AFTER COMPLETING A COURSE, YOU ARE 100 PER CENT CAPABLE OF DOING THE JOB’

the CFMEU, I understand how the system works and the benefit of returning to work for the workers and for the company.’

Stephen said he never imagined that he would be doing a job heavily focused on OHS. ‘A safe workplace is important for everyone involved, especially in this industry.’

Stephen cannot speak highly enough of the training delivered by the union.

‘When you go back on site after completing a course, you are 100 per cent capable of doing the job properly,’ he said.

‘The trainers are focused on you learning, not rushing people through for the sake of numbers.

‘I encourage CFMEU members to take advantage of this great service and equip themselves with knowledge and skills.

‘It’s the best thing I ever did.’

John Paroukas

As part of a crane crew, John Paroukas considered himself to be at the top of the tree.

B

ut in one swift incident in June 2014, he came crashing down and hit rock bottom, sustaining a serious neck injury at work – an injury that still plagues him.

As time went on, it became clear that he wasn’t going to recover any time soon and the thought that he may ever be able to work again devastated him.

‘I was staying at home, patting my dog and thinking. “What am I going to do with myself?”’ he said.

Looking for new opportunities In discussion one day with Amanda Swayn from the CFMEU Legal Department, who is looking after his workers compensation case, she suggested he might want to look into doing a course at the union’s training unit.

‘They were very proactive.

The Training Unit called me. It didn’t take much to convince me to sign up for a course.’

He enrolled in an Occupational Health and Safety Certificate 4 in Training and Assessment course. He found the course a godsend, not only because he was learning something new, but because it brought him into contact with people in the same boat as him.

‘I felt as if I had been offered a lifeline.

SUMMER 2016

I was interacting again with people – many of the other guys had long-term injuries and I found that very supportive. Some of them have become good friends,’ he says.

No help from his insurance company John is scathing in his criticism of insurance companies and their treatment of workers who are injured and on workers compensation.

‘IF IT WASN’T FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW AND GET BACK TO WORK, I’D STILL BE SITTING AT HOME MOPING.’ ‘When I was asking them, “What can I do about my situation?” they basically said “you work it out”. Great help they were.’

A new beginning After completing his training, John landed a job with the Murray Mallee Training Company, teaching apprentices landscape construction. He has been in the position for seven months and is delighted that he is doing something he enjoys.

John is full of praise for the training unit and he encourages other members to make use of what’s on offer.

‘If it wasn’t for the opportunity to learn something new and get back to work, I’d still be sitting at home moping.

‘When you’re injured no-one wants to know you.

Everyone drops you.

I’m very thankful that I was a union member.

‘The trainers were great in every way and I’m still in contact with them.

‘They helped me put my dark days behind me.’

CFMEU WORKER

049

INCOLINK MENTAL HEALTH

MEN AND

MENTAL HEALTH In Australia, men have often learned as they grew up that men don’t talk about feelings and emotions. As an adult this might mean they:

How to ask for help  Call an Incolink counsellor to talk on 03 9668 3061  Call LifeLine 13 11 14  Call Men’s Line 1300 78 99 78

 Don’t take an interest in their health and wellbeing.

How to help someone who seems to be doing it tough

 Are reluctant to talk about their emotions  Don’t ask for help  Are less healthy compared to women  Drink more alcohol, take more risks  Suffer more from being alone, feel more lonely and feel depressed  Experience relationship breakdowns  Lose access to their children following divorce

You may have noticed a mate at work who is behaving differently recently.

He could be more withdrawn or started to isolate himself from others. He may be coming into work very tired or hung over too often You may not know how to help,

what to say or how to even approach them.

Here are a few things you can do to support someone you are concerned about:  Initiate the first talk choose the right time and place making sure it is private and relaxed  Let them know you are worried about them and ask how they are going  If they are not willing to talk, let them know you are there at anytime  If they are willing to talk, listen more than talk, be non-judgemental  Encourage them to see a GP or health professional as a first step  Stay in touch

Please don’t....  Forget about your own needs and physical or mental health  Pressure them to “cheer up” or ‘calm down” or say “You’ll be right mate”.  Stay away or avoid them  Assume the problem will go away

LOOK INTRODUCE NETWORK oms Look for signs and sympt

ectly Introduce the question dir

essionals Network them with prof and other help

KEEP

eck in and Keep an eye on them, ch continue support

SAFE

050

re Stay safe and take self-ca

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2016

INCOLINK SAFE HOLIDAYS

Focus on Safe &

s y a y d p i p l Ha Ho

Most of us look forward to the holiday season.

It means family, friends, probably too much food and so many reasons to kick back and have a drink or two.

Going out

 Try to set yourself limits over the festive season. It is recommended that a person drinks no more than 4 standard drinks in a day.  Don’t forget to eat.  Avoid ‘shouts’ or ’rounds’ of drinks or drinking competitions.  Drink water or a soft drink between each alcoholic drink.

S

ometimes more time partying can lead to increased drinking of alcohol. Incolink Wellbeing & Support team would like to mention a few ways you can take care of yourself, your mates and your family over the holidays.

 Think about drinking water or a soft drink when the weather is hot – alcohol can be de-hydrating.  Drink slowly, try not to gulp.  Don’t drink and drive.

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 stubbie can contain more than one standard drink.

Staying in

 Try to set yourself limits over the festive season. It is recommended that a person drinks no more than 4 standard drinks in a day.  Fill your glass when it is empty – it is easier to keep track of how many drinks you have.  A big glass could hold 2 standard drinks so make sure you count the drinks not the glass.  Check how much alcohol the drink contains: Read the label, which in Australia must state the percentage of alcohol in the beverage. The more alcohol a drink contains, the lower the quantity that is equivalent to a standard drink.  When planning a party, offer plenty of alcohol-free and low alcohol options to your guests.  Make sure you offer your guests something to eat.  Don’t drink and drive.  A taxi is cheaper for your guests than an accident.

1

1

2.1

7.7

37

30

STANDARD DRINKS

– for you and the family n Fu ay id ol H ee Fr k rin D SUMMER 2016

walk  Take the dog for a movies  Take the kids to the und the park  Kick the footy aro tes ma e with som the beach  Take a Frisbee to to lunch –  Drive your partner ice park or cafe, your cho e bik by  See your town

CFMEU WORKER

051

CLASSIFIED ADS

Construction of concrete structures for multistorey office and apartment buildings; and large shopping centres. Including formwork, reinforcement supply and fix, post tensioning supply and installation, concrete supply, concrete place, concrete pumping, construction of concrete lift cores, structure safety screens and provision of other self climbing systems.

68-76 Drake Boulevard, Altona, Vic. 3018

Ph: (03) 8331 7100 Fax: (03) 8331 7150 Email: info@form700.com.au Website: www.form700.com.au CW 21/3

CW 21/3

052

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2016

SLATER + GORDON WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK

INSERT COPY

FAMILY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION ORDERS Family Violence Intervention Orders, or IVOs, can be made against you when allegations of violence, threatened violence, stalking or intimidation are made against you by a current or former domestic partner or a family member.

F

amily violence is taken very seriously by both Police and the Court. What is considered to be family violence is very broad and does not have to include physical violence. Verbal arguments involving screaming and name calling can be considered to be family violence, as can children overhearing such arguments.

An Order can have implications with respect to custody and access to children, firearms licences and Working With Children Card Checks.

If an Application has been made against you, you are called the Respondent. When an Application is first made, Police will give you a copy of the Application, which will outline why the Application has been made and what the Applicant alleges you have done. The Application also contains information about where and when you are required to attend Court.

You might also receive an

Interim Order. You must comply with all conditions of an Interim Order, which will remain in place until such time as the Court makes another Order in relation to the Application against you.

If you are served with an Application for an IVO, it is important that you:  Carefully read the Application  Ensure that you attend Court to respond to the Application against you  Comply with all conditions of an Interim Order  Seek legal advice from a lawyer as soon as possible

You can contest an Application made against you. This is a lengthy process and you will require legal representation.

You can also consent to a Final Order without admitting

any of the allegations made against you. A lawyer at Court can assist you to negotiate conditions of an Order to ensure that you can easily comply with a Final Order. It is important that you seek legal advice so that your options and the Court process are clearly explained to you.

Also, if you are being accused of committing a criminal offence, Police can arrest you and interview you about the allegations.

If you are contacted by Police to answer questions about allegations made against you, it is important that you understand your rights and obligations before you agree to co-operate. You have the right to silence which means that you do not have to answer questions, other than providing your name and address.

If you are being interviewed by Police it is important that you:

If you breach any condition of an Interim or Final Order, you can be arrested and charged with a criminal offence.

SUMMER 2016

 exercise your right to get legal advice – speak to a criminal lawyer before you answer questions  be polite and respectful  do not get angry or aggressive  do not sign any documents

II Kate Da Costa  do not make a written statement

You should speak to a criminal lawyer before you decide whether to answer questions or to say ‘no comment’ to Police questions.

Being found guilty of a criminal offence can detrimentally affect your future employment prospects and travel opportunities as well as your family life and personal wellbeing. It is best to be properly advised from the very start of the process.

Kate Da Costa is an experienced criminal lawyer at Slater and Gordon. She is available for appointments at the CFMEU Melbourne office each Friday, telephone 03 9341 3467. The Slater and Gordon criminal law team can be contacted on 03 8539 8305 for same day legal advice.

CFMEU WORKER

053

and strong long-term returns

32 years on and going strong Cbus has a history of strong long-term investment returns.

Our default investment option Growth (Cbus MySuper) has outperformed the industry average, year after year.

cbussuper.com.au/performance

9.16

average annual return^

Growth (Cbus MySuper) 1/7/84 to 30/6/16

1300 361 784

* Based on the crediting rate, which is the return minus investment costs and taxes, the Trustee Operating Cost and reserves. Excludes administration fees. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

This information is about Cbus. It doesn’t take into account your specific needs, so you should look at your own financial position, objectives and requirements before making any financial decisions. Read the relevant Cbus Product Disclosure Statement to decide whether Cbus is right for you. Call Cbus on 1300 361 784 or visit www.cbussuper.com.au for a copy.

Cbus’ Trustee: United Super Pty Ltd ABN 46 006 261 623 AFSL 233792. Cbus ABN 75 493 363 262.

Run a super race with your retirement savings.

You want to be leading into the final straight, not just at the starter’s pistol. You can’t control the future, but Cbus has been a great performer over the years*.

We’ve all been there. Poured over the form guide. Worked up the perfect box trifecta. It’s a sure thing in the race that stops a nation. Or maybe you just picked a random horse from your mate’s sweep.

Cbus has generated an annual average return of 9.16%* over the 32 years it has been around. Now that’s Melbourne Cup winning form.

The race starts. Straight out of the gate, your horse surges to the front of the pack. Cue the groan. The Melbourne Cup is run over more than three kilometres. It’s a long race.

Break out the Spring form guide. It’s never too early to get your head in the super game.

And there’s not much hope of winning from such an early lead. If you’re in the sweep, you might get your money back for second last place at least. And for Mr Box-Trifecta, he already knows the race is as good as done. Even though you probably think about sport more often than superannuation (and who wouldn’t), it can offer a similar lesson.

Complete the whole race 2015/16 was very challenging for super returns. Despite big falls in shares in August, January and again in June, the Growth (Cbus MySuper) investment option delivered a very positive 5.47%* for the year. While lower than the double digit returns of late, there are also super fund members who will see investment losses this year.

This one-year return is a great jump straight out of the gate. But it’s the whole race that generally matters most.

No time like the present

For Cbus members You can choose how to invest your super right now. Want to chase higher returns or prefer a more cautious approach? You can do that.

Want to get hands on and choose specific shares in the biggest companies on the Australian Stock Exchange?

*Performance figures quoted are as at 30 June 2016. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investment returns are based on the crediting rate, which is the return minus investment costs and taxes, the Trustee Operating Cost and reserves. Excludes administration fees. + Cbus Property Pty Ltd is a whollyowned subsidiary of Cbus and is responsible for the strategic performance and management of all Cbus direct property developments and investments.

This information is about Cbus. It does not take your specific needs, objectives and requirements into consideration so you should look at your own financial position, objectives and requirements before making any financial decisions.

Read the relevant Cbus Product Disclosure Statement to decide whether Cbus is right for you.

Cbus has got your covered. Don’t know what to choose? Cbus can help with that too. Find out more at cbussuper.com.au/investments or call us on 1300 361 784.

For everyone else What are you waiting for? Join over 732,900 people in the super fund that invests in creating building and construction jobs through Cbus Property+. Anyone can join online at cbussuper.com.au/join or call 1300 361 784.

Cbus’ Trustee: United Super Pty Ltd ABN 46 006 261 623 AFSL 233792 Cbus ABN 754 933 632 62.

SUMMER 2016

CFMEU WORKER

055

CFMEU COMMUNITY

Young Workers Conference Anne Duggan and Liam O’Hearn from the CFMEU Training Unit addressed 250 young activists from all over Australia at the Young Workers’ Conference organised by the Victorian Trades Hall Council.

J

oined by the ETU’s apprenticeship officer, Omar Merhi, Anne and Liam provided activists with an overview of the rights and conditions of apprentices from sign-up to completion.

They used examples of onsite practices and discussed how to identify questionable arrangements and what apprentices entitlements are.

‘The aim of the session was for us to provide the young activists with a range of strategies to ensure apprentice rights are protected,’ said Anne.

The Young Workers Conference is about empowering young workers with the experience and confidence to not only contribute to campaigns but to take leadership in them.

'ACTIVISTS DEVELOP TANGIBLE SKILLS TO TAKE BACK TO THEIR WORKPLACES.' Anne Duggan ‘There was a great deal of enthusiasm and lots of debate and discussion about some of the biggest issues facing young workers today and in the future.’

over 70% of members join online - why aren't you?  new Members joining  Members renewing/paying dues check out the new secure online forms: vic.cfmeu.org.au/pay-your-dues 056

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2016

CLASSIFIED ADS

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Services include • Post Tensioning • Post tension foundations • Steel Fixing • Precast concrete – post tension construction • Temporary works Intra-Force

IFT Technologies Construction Innovations

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2:57:09 PM

TasBuild’s Portable Long Service is great for the whole construction industry.

It’s good for Employees because we get long service EHQH¿WV HYHQ LI ZH change employer ...and it’s good for employers because it’s keeps the best of us in the Industry.

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Phone:

That’s good for all of us because lower costs mean more jobs.

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SUMMER 2016

CW 22/3

CFMEU WORKER

057

YOUR WAGES

EBA WAGE RATES ONSITE 36-HOUR WEEK: The new EBA brings increases in wages, allowances, superannuation and Incolink contributions.

Be paid-up and proud, it’s worth it!

For sector EBA’s see vic.cfmeu.org.au/wages (civil, contract scaffold, precast, traffic control, demolition, apprentices, mobile cranes, steel erection, shop fitting) RATE PER HOUR

RATE PER WEEK

WEEKLY PRO-RATA ANNUAL LEAVE

WEEKLY PRORATA A/ L LOADING

$41.28

$1,486.08

$114.31

$22.76

Painter – new work

$40.35

$1,452.60

$111.74

$22.31

Painter – re-paint

$40.30

$1,450.80

$111.60

$22.29

Marker/Setter-out, Letter Cutter

$42.97

$1,546.92

$118.99

$23.58

Signwriter

$42.07

$1,514.52

$116.50

$23.15

$44.59

$1,605.24

$123.48

$24.37

$40.12

$1,444.32

$111.10

$22.20

$38.80

$1,396.80

$107.45

$21.56

$37.61

$1,353.96

$104.15

$20.99

(36 HOUR WEEK)

Tradespersons Carpenter/Joiner Tile-layer Stonemason Artificial Stoneworker Marble & Slate-worker Plasterer Cladding Fixer Bricklayer

Roof-tiler Special Class Tradesperson: Carver * All Rates include Tool Allowance

Labourers GRADE 1 - CW3 - 100% Rigger Dogman Sign industry worker

GRADE 2 - CW2 - 96% Scaffolder Hoist/Winch Driver Steel Fixer Concrete Finisher

GRADE 3 - CW1 - 92.4% Trades Labourer Concrete Gang Jack Hammerman Concrete Cutting Machine Operator

062

CFMEU WORKER

SUMMER 2016

YOUR WAGES

Crane Crews - Building Sites TOWER CRANE CREW - CW7 - 120% Operator and Dogman/Crane hands

$46.74

$1,682.64

$129.43

$25.41

Trainee Dogman/Crane hand (fixed cranes)

$43.47

$1,564.92

$120.38

$23.83

$126.64

$24.92

Plant operators PCW7 - 120% - Excavators over 115 tonnes, Crawler Tractors over 350kw, Graders experienced final trim

$45.73

$1,646.28

PCW6 - 115% - Excavators 65 to 115 tonnes, Wheel & Track Loaders over 300kw, Crawler Tractors 200 to 350kw, Graders final trim, Construction Trucks over 200 tonnes, Tower Cranes

$44.06

$1,586.16

$122.01

$24.11

PCW5 - 110% - Compactors over 200kw, Excavators 25 to 65 tonnes, Wheel & Track Loaders 200 to 300kw, Scrapers over 400kw, Crawler Tractors 100 to 200kw, Graders over 130kw, Construction Trucks 120 to 200 tonnes, Mobile Cranes 15 to 100 tonnes

$42.37

$1,525.32

$117.33

$23.29

PCW4 - 105% - Compactors up to 200kw, Excavators 16 to 25 tonnes, Wheel & Track Loaders 100 to 200kw, Scrapers 300 to 400kw, Crawler Tractors up to 100kw, Graders up to 130kw, Construction Trucks 60 to 120 tonnes, Mobile Cranes up to 15 tonnes

$40.73

$1,466.28

$112.79

$22.50

PCW3 - 100% - Rollers over 10 tonnes, Skid Steer & Backhoe/Loaders over 200kw, Excavators up to 16 tonnes, Wheel & Track Loaders up to 100kw, Scrapers up to 300kw, Construction Trucks 12 to 60 tonnes, Forklift Operators, Winch Drivers & Mobile Hydraulic Platform Operators

$39.11

$1,407.96

$108.30

$21.71

PCW2 - 96% - Rollers 5 to 10 tonnes, Skid Steer & Backhoe/Loaders to 200kw, Construction Trucks up to 12 tonnes

$37.56

$1,352.16

$104.01

$20.96

PCW1 - 92.4% - New Entrant for plant only, Rollers up to 5 tonnes

$36.16

$1,301.76

$100.14

$20.28

Note: If unsure if agreement applies to you, check with the Union for your company sector-specific EBA, e.g. Civil.

EBA Benefits and Allowances

Multi-storey Allowance

Travel allowance: $41.00 per day

Start to 15th floor

$0.54 per hour

Superannuation: $195 per week, or 9.5% of ordinary time earnings, whichever higher.

Floors 16 – 30

$0.64 per hour

Floors 31 – 45

$0.99 per hour

Floors 46 – 60

$1.28 per hour

Floors 61+

$1.57 per hour

Incolink payments: $76.35 per week paid into Incolink. Income protection, trauma insurance and portable sick leave are also available (paid into Incolink).

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

Site & General Wage Related Allowances

Overtime meal allowance: $25.33 when required to work overtime for one and a half hours or more on an ordinary working day.

Service Core Allowance

Living away from home allowance: $770 per week Site allowance: Check the CFMEU Allowances Schedule for more information: cfmeu.vic.org.au/wages

$1.40 per hour

First Aid Allowance Minimum qualification

$2.82 per day

Higher qualification

$4.46 per day

As well as a 5% pay rise every year for three-years, 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!

SUMMER 2016

CFMEU WORKER

063

Turnbull and his mates are out to steal our wages.

They'd steal christmas too if they could!

but

We are keeping the christmas spirit alive!

STAY SAFE OVER THE HOLIDAYS