“Industry hopes the Federal Government and Opposition will be able to quickly work through the remaining issues to provide for a transparent, responsive and powerful administration of the CFMEU’s construction division,” Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group said today.
“The meeting today between the Minister for Workplace Relations, Senator Murray Watt, and his Opposition counterpart, Senator Michaelia Cash, is an encouraging sign that agreement on the administration process can soon be reached.
“Industry endorses the Government’s wish for the administration to be implemented quickly and also supports the Opposition’s insistence that the process be robust.
“As each day passes, it increases pressure on industry at the contractor and subcontractor level to complete enterprise bargaining agreements with the discredited union which serves nobody’s interest. CFMEU representatives remain very active on sites pushing for agreements to be settled.
“It also makes sense for the administration to have a clear reporting framework, be in place for at least three years and have the ability to expel or disqualify misbehaving officials for a period that ensures they cannot return.
“There is also concern as the administration evolves that there is no clear process in place to prevent the discredited officials and their supporters from establishing an unregistered union or acting as on-site bargaining representatives. This issue needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
“There is also strong support to establish a new construction regulator to oversee the sector, with enforcement powers across both the criminal and civil realms.
“Over time, the role of the states’ procurement practices must also be examined to ensure they do not encourage poor behaviours on site.
“The quick establishment of the administration would be a very positive first step to driving change in the sector but it should be seen as just that – a first step,” Mr Willox said.
