Thousands of workers down tools and take to the streets to support CFMEU

Thousands of construction workers have gathered in mass rallies to support the CFMEU as the construction section’s administrator promises to crack down on bikie infiltration.

Workers and their comrades, including from electrical trades, maritime and manufacturing unions, downed tools on Wednesday and marched through major cities to express their anger over the federal takeover of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union.

The union’s construction and general division has allegedly been involved in criminal and corrupt conduct, recently uncovered by Nine newspapers.

More than 10,000 arrived at Trades Hall in Melbourne at 10.30am before marching down LaTrobe Street, closing the major thoroughfare and causing tram disruptions.

Marchers chanted “union strong” and sported merchandise with slogans including “God forgives but the CFMEU doesn’t”.

Electrical Trades Union representative Troy Gray accused politicians of trying to stop workers getting pay rises.

“The same politicians that fist pumped the air when they put the CFMEU into administration just gave themselves a pay rise,” he said.

“Most of them wouldn’t last a week (on a construction site).”

Victorian Workplace Relations Minister Gabrielle Williams urged those protesting to do so constructively.

“While we respect your right to protest, we would urge you to do it lawfully and to do it peacefully while you have and we all enjoy a right to protest,” she told reporters.

“We don’t have a right to put others at risk and I would urge anyone participating today to make sure they’re doing so lawfully and safely.”

A few thousand demonstrators also descended on Belmore Park in Sydney from 11am.

More than 60,000 workers assembled across the nation in August, when up to 50,000 Victorian CFMEU members gathered outside Trades Hall.

A further 8000 attended in Sydney and about 4000 in Brisbane.

CFMEU administrator Mark Irving has promised detailed investigations to expose the grip outlaw motorcycle gangs and organised criminals have on the union’s construction arm.

After receiving a damning report into the Victorian branch, which indicated it was laden with violence and intimidation, he committed to establishing an integrity unit in Victoria.

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

Other branches in NSW, Queensland and South Australia will also be scrutinised over the extent of bikie and organised crime involvement within their construction industries.

Questions around whether union officials breached conflicts of interest by accepting unlawful kickbacks and secret benefits as well as transfers of funds to and from the union, including the use of charity trusts, will be under the microscope.

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt is also due to speak at the National Press Club on Wednesday, outlining his government’s workplace reforms.