Vic: Union pushes for closed shop on worksites, commission told

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-2001
Vic: Union pushes for closed shop on worksites, commission told

MELBOURNE, Dec 12 AAP - The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU)
has a policy that all workers on a building site be members of the union, the royal commission
into the building industry was told today.

The union's Victorian assistant secretary, Bill Oliver, said shop stewards encouraged
non-union workers to sign up to the union by holding meetings pointing out the benefits.

But he said the union did not stage stopworks because a construction site had non-union
workers, such as sub-contractors.

"I have been in the union for 16 years and I would think that over that period of 16
years I would think (stopworks) did happen," he told the commission.

"But since the Workplace Relations Act (came into effect), we have endeavoured to emphasise
to the shop stewards there are certain boundaries we can't overstep, so since that was
introduced I can't recall that happening."

Counsel assisting the commissioner, Richard Tracey, QC, questioned Mr Oliver over a
variety of industrial actions, including rallies outside the commission earlier this year
and a rally at the Master Builders Association (MBA) when members stormed a private meeting.

Asked if the workers had been invited into the MBA office, Mr Oliver said: "The door was open.

"Someone opened the door and when someone opens a door it's an invitation to come in," he said.

The hearing is continuing.

AAP ce/szp/gfr/ph/de

KEYWORD: CONSTRUCTION OLIVER

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