ACTU call for fair treatment of TUs

Date: 06 March 2002

The ACTU Executive passed a motion yesterday calling on Commissioner Cole to reconsider the treatment that has been meted out to unions in the Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry.

The motion reads:

"The Executive notes with serious concern some of the procedural and substantive approaches being adopted by the Cole Royal Commission which amount to fundamental unfairness being rendered to unions and their members.

"In particular we call on the Royal Commissioner to reconsider the position he has adopted in relation to:

• severely limiting the rights of the unions to challenge their accusers through normal processes of cross-examination;

• choosing to highlight 4 or 5 problem projects in each State when the Commissioner could and should highlight the hundreds of smooth, trouble-free projects in these same States;

• choosing to try and grapple with complex policy issues through the very inappropriate method of adversarial, accusatory courtroom hearings;

• refusing to give any indication of when the Commission might examine the widespread non-compliance with legal standards by employers in the industry - in particular when will the Commission investigate some of the 200 examples of non-compliant employers that the CFMEU has supplied to the Commission.

"While the ACTU welcomes the exposure of any corruption, the ACTU calls upon the Commissioner to reconsider the treatment that has been meted out to unions in the Commission. If the Royal Commission is to ever be seen by the construction industry workforce as anything other than an attack on working conditions the Commissioner must take stock and change the direction of this Commission."

For further comment contact Greg Combet ACTU Secretary ph: 03 9663 5266.

For further information

Union:

CFMEU

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