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General News Archives 2005
This General News Archive area will be maintained as a reference resource for members and delegates.
Please be aware some items and articles may be out of date.
For National Press Releases please visit:
http://www.cfmeu.asn.au/construction/press/December 2005
6 December 2005
The Hacienda Luisita strike ends - leaders pay tribute to the thirteen martyrs whose supreme sacrifice made possible the victory of the people of the hacienda
On Thursday, December 8, 2005, the United Luisita Workers' Union [ULWU] and the Central Azucarera De Tarlac Labor Union [CATLU] will sign their respective agreements with management and the strike in Hacienda Luisita will finally be over.
[ full story ]
November 2005
30 November 2005
Victory for Unpaid Northpac Workers
Following strong union action, the unpaid Northpac workers have had a victory.
[ full story ]25 November 2005
Victory for the Disabled -
Victorious Ferguson Lodge Residents Thank the CFMEU
Several months ago Unions New South Wales endorsed a CFMEU Green Ban on the demolition of a residential facility for 24 people with disabilities. These people experience a range of severe spinal injuries, including paraplegia and quadriplegia.
[ full story ]24 November 2005
National Secretary Sounds Apprentice Warning
Trade apprenticeships risk falling from the reach of young Australians because of low wages and a lack of commitment by employers and government, the CFMEU will warn today.
[ full story ]21 November 2005
Save Redfern Oval Supporters’ Information Rally
The Save Redfern Oval Supporters’ Information Rally will be held on Sunday, December 4 at Redfern Oval beginning at midday, outlining the South Sydney/PCYC plans for the redevelopment of Redfern Oval and to show the City of Sydney Councillors who voted against the proposal that the local community is behind these plans for the betterment of the South Sydney district.
[ full story ]
October 2005
26 October 2005
NOT AGAIN - ANOTHER PHILIPPINES TRADE UNIONIST MURDERED
President Of Hacienda Luisita Union Shot Dead!
In shocking news received by the CFMEU today, Ricardo Ramos, president of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union (CATLU), was shot dead at around 9:30 pm yesterday, at his nipa hut in Barangay Mapalacsiao, Tarlac.
[ full story ]21 October 2005
Memorial unveiling for father killed at Westfield Tuggerah
Friends, family and workmates will gather at Westfield Tuggerah on Monday to unveil a memorial for 28 year old Glen Viegas who was tragically killed at work one year ago.
[ full story ]20 October 2005
Asbestos contamination at Coles supermarket stops work
Building work on the refurbishment of the Coles supermarket at Epping has halted and WorkCover investigators called after the building union uncovered the possible exposure of shoppers to asbestos.
[ full story ]10 October 2005
New work laws mean repeat of Lake Cargelligo deaths likely
As the coronial inquest into the double workplace fatality at Lake Cargelligo began today, the building union warned that new workplace laws announced by the Howard Government are likely to cause a repeat of this horrendous accident.
[ full story ]5 October 2005
Liverpool local honoured by Deputy Premier for service
Miller resident Les Tobler was honoured by Deputy Premier John Watkins for his decades of service to indigenous people and workers at a recent retirement function held by the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union, where he worked for more than a decade.
[ full story ]
September 2005
30 September 2005
Government Taskforce has blood on hands after accident
The Howard Governments Building Industry Taskforce has blood on their hands after two workers narrowly escaped death in a serious accident on a Central Coast building this morning, according to the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union.
[ full story ]29 September 2005
Penrith widow slams Howard’s IR changes
More than 150 building workers on the Penrith Plaza project were addressed today by a South Penrith widow who said that new workplace laws will reduce safety and put lives at risk
[ full story ]Thursday, 22 September 2005
Trade Union Leader & Activist Diosdada Fortuna Shot Dead on Way Home from Nestlé Picket Line.
The CFMEU have been advised of the atrocious news that the Philippine KMU Southern Tagalog Chairman - Diosdada Fortuna - has been murdered, straight after attending a picket line outside of Nestlé.
[ full story ]Thursday, 15 September 2005
Union victory for Mt Annan worker owed thousands
Mt Annan man Keiron Moore was one of a dozen workers and 30 small subcontractors left in the lurch after the collapse of building company JLB Group last month where he had worked as a site foreman for more than a year.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 14 September 2005
Building Unions join in Tweed: plans for protest picnic
Last night at a meeting of thirty local building workers, a resolution was unanimously adopted to form the Tweed Building Trades Group of Unions to coordinate the local campaign against the draconian anti-worker laws being planned by the Federal Government.
[ full story ]Thursday, 08 September 2005
Union victory for subbies owed millions in Marrickville
Workers and subcontractors on a Marrickville building site will receive the $4 million dollars owed to them after successful negotiations by the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union.
[ full story ]Monday, 5 September 2005
Tribute to HT Lee
In July this year activist & photojournalist H T Lee died. The Union is organising a tribute to him.
[ full story ]
August 2005
Monday, 22 August 2005
Subbies owed millions picket Marrickville building site
Representatives of 30 small subcontract companies will tomorrow launch a picket of a large Marrickville building site in an attempt to get $4 million owed to them by the developer.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 10 August 2005
‘Auburn Council: restore long weekends,’ urges local worker
If anyone knows about the difficulties of balancing long hours of physical work with the need for quality family time it is local Lidcombe building workers and father of five Munro Jones.
[ full story ]Friday, 05 August 2005
Former Trade Union leader mourned
Ray Wheeler, the former head of the builders union and a Sefton local for more than 50 years, was this week remembered by friends, family, union members and the community for his tireless efforts to protect the rights of Australian workers.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 03 August 2005
Union Green Ban to prevent eviction of disabled residents
Disabled residents from Ferguson Lodge at Lidcombe, fearful of plans to force them into group homes with lower levels of medical care, will receive additional support for their campaign as the construction union announces an interim Green Ban on the demolition of their home tomorrow.
[ full story ]
June 2005
Wednesday, 29 June 2005
Protest Friday 1 July
The Federal Liberal Govt is seeking to prohibit our right to strike...
[ full story ]Thursday, 23 June 2005
Federal Government funds union IR campaign
The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union will tonight donate $50,000 received from the Federal Government’s Building Industry Taskforce to the national industrial relations campaign.
[ full story ]Friday, 17 June 2005
Government double standards slammed by CFMEU
Building workers discussing industrial relations at Star City over a long lunch would end up facing a $22,000 fine, yet executives of big builders and the Building Industry Taskforce chief Nigel Hadgkiss today did just that, with the Howard Government’s backing.
[ full story ]Friday, 10 June 2005
EMBARGOED Wednesday 15 June 2005
Workers from unpaid family business picket Concord site
Twenty workers from a small earthmoving business will picket a major Concord building site on Wednesday in an attempt to recover $192,000 owed by the developer for completed work.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 8 June 2005
Australian first: construction program for Indigenous women
Last Friday, Miller TAFE played host to ten beaming women, the graduates of Australia’s first culturally specific course designed to get Indigenous women into the construction industry.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 1 June 2005
Breathing equipment for the man who beat James Hardie
Building union members have donated money to provide state-of-the-art breathing equipment to West Pennant Hills local Bernie Banton, the man who shot to national fame when he led the campaign to force disgraced asbestos producer James Hardie to pay compensation to victims.
[ full story ]
May 2005
Wednesday, 25 May 2005
CFMEU places ‘red and green’ ban on Redfern Oval
An interim ‘red and green’ ban on Redfern Oval to be announced today will halt Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s planned redevelopment of the Rabbitohs traditional home ground.
[ full story ]Tuesday, 24 May 2005
CFMEU welcomes Land Tax changes
Today’s Land Tax changes by the NSW Government are a welcome first step to slow the slump in the NSW building industry, according to the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union.
[ full story ]Friday, 20 May 2005
Sydney residents and workers unite to regain long weekends.
In Sydney, peaceful and quiet long weekends disappeared long ago, but if local workers and residents get their way, the City of Sydney will have respite from the noise and dust of building work six times a year.
[ full story ]
April 2005
Wednesday, 27 April 2005 – EMBARGOED 5am Thursday, 28 April 2005
International Day of Mourning for those killed at work
Every week eight Australian families are informed their loved one has been killed at work, yet this tragedy is often swept under the carpet, according to the widow of a worker killed last October.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 27 April 2005
Parramatta workers pause to remember those killed at work
With the sounding of crane horns at 9:30am tomorrow, hundreds of building workers from 11 major building sites across Parramatta will pause for a minute’s silence to mourn the hundreds of Australian workers killed each.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 20 April 2005 – EMBARGOED 5am Thursday, 21 April 2005
Unusual alliance formed by unions and business against tax
On Thursday, hundreds of building workers and major property developers will launch a joint campaign against the NSW Governments controversial changes to Land Tax and the Vendor Duty Tax.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 13 April 2005
CFMEU negotiates full payment for Villawood Walter workers
The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union has negotiated a payment of more than $400,000 to cover the full entitlements of the workers at the Walter Plant Yard in Villawood left high and dry after the Walter Construction Group collapsed in February this year.
[ full story ]
March 2005
Monday, 14 March 2005
Million of dollars paid to Central Coast Walter workers
Central Coast employees and subcontractors owed money by failed construction giant Walter Construction Group will receive in excess of $3 million in a deal struck by the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union.
[ full story ]Monday, 14 March 2005
Walter worker from Merrylands receives $190,000 payout
One of the victims of the recent collapse of the Walter Construction Group was Merrylands local Col Marsh who had worked for the construction giant for more than 40 years.
[ full story ]Friday, 11 March 2005
Woy Woy resident retires after 40 years of fighting for workers’ rights
Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union delegate Alex Melnikoff retired this Wednesday after 40 years of tireless service campaigning for workers’ rights.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 01 March 2005
Walter workers and subcontractors paid and back at work
Workers left jobless by the collapse of the Walter Construction Group last month will return to work on the Victoria Park project after striking a deal with the projects financier, the Bank of Scotland.
[ full story ]
February 2005
28 February 2005
Building Industry Taskforce case declaired ‘hopeless’
The latest legal attack by the Building Industry Taskforce on the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union has been labelled “hopeless” by the Federal Court, leaving taxpayers holding the massive legal bill.
[ full story ]Tuesday, 15 February 2005
Victory for Walter workers on Parramatta Rail project
Walter Construction Group workers will gather at the Parramatta Station project tomorrow morning to celebrate the a resumption of work after the State Government negotiated a new contract with Bovis Lend Lease to resume work and employ the sacked workers.
[ full story ]Thursday, 10 February 2005
500 Walter employees to get the sack
At 10am tomorrow 500 employees of the failed Walter Construction Group will be made redundant at the companies head office in St Leonards.
[ full story ]Friday, 4 February 2005
Friable asbestos discovered on Nelson Bay building site
The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union has identified large quantities of friable asbestos on a multimillion dollar luxury unit development in the heart of Nelson Bay.
[ full story ]Wednesday, 02 February 2005
Major Australian building contractor goes into receivership
One of Australia’s largest contractors in the building and mining sectors, Walter Construction Group, last night went into receivership, leaving a thousand employees in the lurch, and owing money to hundreds of subcontractors.
[ full story ]
January 2005
Monday, 31 January 2005
Illegal workers arrested on Girraween building site
Five illegal workers have been arrested after they were discovered working on a building site in Girraween during a recent series of raids by the Department of Immigration.
[ full story ]Monday, 10 January 2005
Appeal for Tsunami Victims - Donate Now
The Australian trade union movement, through our overseas aid arm, Union Aid Abroad—APHEDA, is calling on all workers in Australia to donate generously to the union appeal for the victims of the tsunami in South Asia. The building unions in Australia are committed to raising $1 Million.
[ full story ]
