Workers take to the streets again in support of the CFMEU

Construction workers and their supporters are set to stage second mass protests across the country as the CFMEU administrator vows tougher crackdown on motorcyclist infiltration.

Thousands of workers and their comrades from unions, including those in the electrical, maritime and manufacturing sectors, are expected to walk out on work and march through major cities on Wednesday to voice their discontent over the federal government’s takeover of the construction, forestry and maritime workers’ union.

The union is accused of the Department of Construction and General Affairs being involved in criminal and corrupt practices, as revealed by Nine Newspapers earlier in 2024.

The demonstrations start at 11am at Trades Hall in Melbourne and Belmore Park in Sydney.

In August, more than 60,000 workers across the country rallied, as as many as 50,000 CFMEU members gathered outside the Trades Hall in Melbourne.

In Sydney there were another 8,000 attendees, and in Brisbane about 4,000.

Meanwhile, 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.

The organization will investigate a growing number of allegations and also examine relationships between suppliers and former senior union officials within the state.

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.

Employment and Industrial Relations Minister Murray Watt will also deliver a speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday, outlining his government’s workplace reforms.

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