Thousands of workers stop working and march in support of the CFMEU

Workers have gone on strike and gathered in their thousands in major cities to support the CFMEU in its action against motorcyclist infiltration.

Members and colleagues from trade unions in the electrical engineering, maritime and industrial sectors, among others, walked through major cities on Wednesday to express their anger over the federal government’s takeover of the union for workers in construction, forestry and the maritime sector.

The union’s construction and general division has been accused of engaging in criminal and corrupt practices, which was recently exposed by Nine Newspapers.

More than 10,000 people arrived at Trades Hall in Melbourne at 10.30am and marched down LaTrobe Street, closing the main road and disrupting tram traffic.

The protesters chanted “union strong” and carried slogans such as “God forgives, but the CFMEU does not”.

Troy Gray, a representative from the electrical engineering union, accused politicians of trying to prevent workers from getting higher pay.

“The same politicians who pumped their fists in the air when they put the CFMEU under administration have just given themselves a pay rise,” he said.

Victorian Employment Relations Minister Gabrielle Williams urged protesters to do this constructively.

“While we respect your right to protest, we urge you to do so in a lawful and peaceful manner as you and we all have the right to protest,” she told reporters.

From 11am, several thousand protesters gathered in Belmore Park in Sydney, before marching through Hyde Park and gathering outside the New South Wales parliament.

Former CFMEU NSW secretary Darren Greenfield addressed the sea of ​​fluorescent clothing, saying “every decision made by (the CFMEU) is designed to benefit our members”.

Greenfield and his son Michael, a former deputy secretary of a state department, are accused of accepting bribes from a construction company to gain preferential treatment from the union and access to contracts since 2018.

Both were released on bail on charges first filed in 2021, which have recently come under intense scrutiny following an investigation into alleged corruption within the union by Nine Newspapers.

Greenfield told the crowd that lies were being spread about him.

“People have been trying to tarnish my name for 45 years,” he said.

Employment and Industrial Relations Minister Murray Watt told the National Press Club that the culture in several parts of the construction industry needed major changes.

“A safe workplace is also a workplace free from corruption, crime, bullying and violence,” he said.

“Unfortunately, recent allegations strongly suggest that this kind of culture has seriously penetrated the CFMEU Construction Division and the wider construction industry.

Mr Watt said there was an opportunity for ‘once-in-a-generation’ change in the construction industry, including through the revitalisation of the National Construction Industry Forum.

“I will be convening the forum over the next month and we will be expanding the membership,” he said.

“We will discuss a range of difficult issues and it will require give and take from both sides, including addressing misconduct and lawlessness on both the employee and employer side.”

On August 27, more than 60,000 workers gathered across the country.

CFMEU chief executive Mark Irving has promised a full investigation into the grip that outlaw motorcycle gangs and organised crime have on the union’s construction arm.

After receiving a damning report on the Victoria branch, which found violence and intimidation, he decided to establish an integrity unit in Victoria.

Other sites in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia are also being scrutinised for the extent to which cyclists and organised crime are involved in their construction industries.

The investigation will examine whether union officials violated conflicts of interest by accepting illegal bribes and secret benefits, and by transferring money to and from the union, including the use of charitable funds.

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