CPSU reform group attacks Labor over CFMEU administration

Sectors within the main union for the public service have come out in support of the embattled CFMEU, which the Federal Government has just forced into administration.

Democracy4CPSU, a group pushing for reform from inside the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), has described the government’s administration legislation as “undemocratic” and “alarming”.

The reform group stood behind the Members United ticket that tried (and failed) to oust national secretary Melissa Donnelly in last year’s CPSU elections.

While a minority within the CPSU, the reform group is substantial.

It variously won 30 to 40 per cent of the CPSU vote in the 2023 elections across the whole of the union and in specific sections.

On Wednesday (28 August), a day after tens of thousands of trade unionists across the country rallied in support of CFMEU members and against Labor’s treatment of them, Democracy4CPSU came out swinging against the Albanese Government.

Democracy4CPSU convener, Christopher Warren, said the group’s position was in alignment with a growing number of unions within the labour movement and other civil society organisations such as the NSW Council for Civil Liberties.

“Democracy must be a universally defended principle, and everyone in the labour movement needs to stand up for it,” he said.

“We can’t sit silently while rank-and-file CFMEU members who have done nothing wrong have their democratic rights taken away.

“We’ve got to challenge the idea that the labour movement broadly supports the move against the CFMEU, save for a few blue-collar unions.”

Mr Warren said many rank-and-file unionists, including in the CPSU, were “really alarmed and hold grave concerns”.

“The Albanese Government is setting a terrible precedent,” he said. “It goes against so many norms, it’s rife with problems around procedural fairness.

“The idea that a government can move to take control of a union without an investigation or a court process is chilling.”

The group says many rank-and-file activists across the labour movement hold procedural concerns and are alarmed for the implications for union democracy and democratic control of membership-based organisations more broadly.

Mr Warren said the decision to speak publicly on the CFMEU matter contrasted with the incumbent CPSU leadership’s stance not to issue comment.

All branches of the construction arm of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union have been forced into administration at the direction of Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

This includes the ACT branch of the CFMEU which, along with the WA branch, was originally expected to be left out of the administration order.

Melbourne lawyer Mark Irving has been appointed the union’s administrator.

Legislation passed late on 19 August forced the union into administration after Labor struck a deal with the Coalition to support a three-year minimum period of administration.

The government introduced the legislation after the CFMEU refused to voluntarily accept an administrator and began delaying developments through court action.

The action against the union follows media reports alleging bullying, intimidation and criminal behaviour by some CFMEU officials.

Before leaving for this week’s Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese repeated that strong action had to be taken against elements of the CFMEU.

“We know that trade unionists do a great job when they look after the wages and conditions of their members, but there’s no place for corruption or intimidation in the building industry,” Mr Albanese said.

“To have a corrupt union, you need a corrupt employer to be paying them money and there’s no place for it.”

Answering questions at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Greens leader Adam Bandt accused the Federal Government and Opposition of doing a backroom deal to rush through legislation to force an administrator on the CFMEU.

Mr Bandt said allegations against the union were serious, but needed to be prosecuted through the courts.

“But Labor and the Liberals have rammed through a bill that seizes control of an entire union, and sacked workers that haven’t even faced allegations of wrongdoing,” he said.

“…Setting a shocking precedent that overrides natural justice and the rule of law.”

Mr Bandt defended his Greens housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather who addressed a rally in Brisbane in front of a poster of Mr Albanese depicted as Adolf Hitler.

“The sign is offensive, that’s not a sign that we did or shared or anything like that, it’s a sign that someone had at a rally, but it’s offensive,” he said.