No place for bad behaviour

With ongoing allegations regarding the harassment of construction workers by CFMEU employees, it is time to implement consequences for unprofessional conduct.

- Damian Long

I attended the Civil Contractors Federation National Infrastructure Summit and Earth Awards in Canberra recently and was privileged to facilitate a workshop and panel session regarding the industrial relations landscape in Australia.

This was a national perspective, and it was a great chance to hear from other industry participants and share experiences regarding industrial relations issues – in particular the administration of the CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, and Maritime Employees Union).

The sessions were attended by representatives of industry regulators, in-house and external industrial relations councils and leaders from across the country.

We heard firsthand experiences of dealing with the worst parts of industrial relations and the profound effects they have had on the mental wellbeing of individuals.

The testimonies alleged the relentless harassment of employees and businesses by union employees.

The alleged harassment involved threats targeting future employment and business opportunities, personal threats, and derogatory insults to individuals and their families – insults that were often of a sexual or racial nature.