General News Archives 2006		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 Please be aware some items and articles may be out of date.
December 2006 14 December 2006 CFMEU fined $100,000 plus costs over WA boycott action The Federal Court has ordered the CFMEU to pay $115,000 in penalties and costs for breaching the Trade Practices Act’s secondary boycott provisions when it delayed a concrete pour and picketed at a construction site in Perth in 2004. [full story] 07 December 2006 English language and literacy program for building workers Building workers wishing to improve their English language and literacy skills are invited to take part in a free training course conducted by the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union. [full story]   November 2006 30th November CFMEU at November 30 Rally [view gallery] 30th November CFMEU Retired Members Association celebrates a very successful year [details and photo gallery] 09 November 2006 Asbestos contaminated soil delivered to primary school Concerned parents this morning discovered several tonnes of asbestos contaminated soil had been unloaded in the playground of Panania North Public School, according to the building union. [full story] 08 November 2006 Interest rate rise puts thousands of building jobs at risk Today’s interest rate rise is a crushing blow for the New South Wales construction sector and will put the jobs of thousands of local workers at risk, according to the building union. [full story] 02 November 2006 Worker facing $28,600 fine joins Botany picket line Sacked union delegate Barry Hemsworth was joined on his picket line outside the office of his former employer Botany Cranes on Wednesday by one of the first individual workers prosecuted with radical building industry laws passed last year. [full story] 01 November 2006 Illegal workers linked to brick wall collapses on funeral home The building union believes illegal workers from China were being used to construct a masonry wall which collapsed onto a Thornleigh funeral home today, crushing four vehicles, destroying part of the building, cutting off power and narrowly avoiding workers [full story] October 2006 26 October 2006 Guest workers sacked after refusing AWA’s that cut pay Four guest workers, employed in Australia on controversial 457 visas, have been sacked and face deportation for refusing to sign individual contracts that cut their pay, according to the building union. [full story] 26 October 2006 Wall of Remembrance dedicated to building workers fatally injured On 26 October 2006 The Hon Kim Beazley, Leader of the opposition officially opened the Wall of Remembrance [click here] 25 October 2006 Lidcombe: Families unveil memorial for killed workers A memorial wall listing the names of building workers killed on the job will tomorrow be unveiled by victims’ families and the building union to highlight the tragedy of workplace deaths. [full story] 18 October 2006 Privatisation is bad medicine” says CPSU The CPSU / Save Medibank Alliance has slammed the Government's plan to proceed with the sale of Medibank Private, claiming it will be bad for Medibank members, staff and the Australian health care system [full story] 11 October 2006 Blacktown: Memorial unveiled to remember Joel Exner death The third anniversary of the workplace death of 16 year old Joel Exner will be marked by the unveiling of a memorial in the Blacktown park where he played junior rugby league. [full story]   September 2006 28/9/2006 Union Green Ban to save homes of Belmore war veterans Belmore veterans fighting to save their homes have struck an alliance with the construction union resulting in a Green Ban being placed on the sale or redevelopment of the unit block they occupy. [full story] 20/9/2006 Building union urges Hawkesbury community to help stop theft Local Hawkesbury residents are urged to keep an eye out for suspicious activity on building sites after thieves caused thousands of dollars of damage to a Richmond construction site. [full story] 19th September 2006 Standoff over fired worker – injustice of new laws on Barry Hemsworth [full story] 13/9/2006 Botany: IR laws used to sack worker after OH&S dispute Botany Cranes last week used the Howard Government’s radical new work laws to sack a long serving crane driver who raised serious workplace safety concerns, outraging the building union. [full story] 11/9/2006 Revesby: picket after illegal workers used as cheap labour Members of the building union will tomorrow picket the factory of Revesby based plastic recycling company Rexma where an illegal worker from Korea was forced to work up to 160 hours a week until he lost five fingers in a horrific workplace accident. [full story] 11/9/2006 Doonside: 15 year old sacked for calling police after assault Fifteen year old Doonside resident Beau Hayes has been awarded $16,000 in compensation after his boss sacked him for calling the police and “bringing shame” on the company after he was physically assaulted by the foreman from Glendenning based company Network Kitchens. [full story] 8/9/2006 Cabramatta: teenager forced to work for half award wage Cabramatta based company BM Sydney Building Materials forced an 18 year old workers to become an independent contractor so they could pay him half his legal wage and avoid their legal obligations, according to the building union. [full story] 5/9/2006 PORT MACQUARIE WORKERS FIGHT FOR THEIR PAY Building workers and subcontractors owed tens of thousands of dollars for work on the $13 million dollar Aston Hill project IN Port Macquarie will tomorrow march to the office of Shores Australia in an attempt to resolve the dispute and have work restart. [full story] 5/9/2006 Coogee: Housing Department residents exposed to asbestos Department of Housing tenants in South Coogee have potentially been exposed to deadly asbestos after an unlicensed contractor was hired to remove the toxic substance from more than 100 units. [full story] August 2006 28/8/2006 Sydney: protest to support workers facing $28,600 fines Building workers, nurses, truck drivers and fire-fighters will tomorrow hold a community protest to mark the first day in court for 107 workers who face $28,600 fines for defending a sacked workmate. [full story] 19/8/2006 Husband of Federal MP assaults union official on safety audit The husband of Liberal MP Jackie Kelly yesterday assaulted a union official during a safety check of the multi-million dollar mansion the couple are building on the banks of the Nepean River. [full story] 11/8/2006 Last windscreen manufacturer in NSW closes doors The last windscreen manufacturer in NSW, O'Brien Glass Industries, will cease production today as workers receive redundancies and are replaced by cheaper products imported from China. [full story] 4/8/2006 Protocols for Union Right of Entry clarified [full story] July 2006 13/7/2006 Hardie victims urge PM to act: protests in marginal seats James Hardie asbestos victims around NSW will today urge the Prime Minister to overturn the controversial Tax Office decision to deny the Hardie compensation scheme charity status. [full story] 7/7/2006 Structural faults halt 25 story tower: community at risk Major structural faults in Parramatta’s tallest building are putting the community at risk of injury or death while a contractual dispute over who is to blame prevents rectification work from taking place. [full story] June 2006 27/6/2006 Campsie worker owed thousands by building contractor A Korean guest worker, living in Campsie, is protesting outside the Artarmon office of building contractor Kyo Group in a bid to recover thousands of dollars in unpaid wages and superannuation. [full story] 16/6/2006 Sydney activists spend weekend under house arrest Australian supporters of democracy in Burma will spend much of this weekend under ‘house arrest’ to highlight the plight of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has spent 10 of the past 16 years in detention. [full story] 9/6/2006 Construction union volunteers help Portuguese widow On Tuesday, a dozen building union volunteers will complete renovation work for North Rocks widow Andreia Viegas that was left unfinished when her husband Glen was tragically killed at work. [full story] May 2006 12 May 2006 CBUS Chairman advises on May 2006 Budget implications for superannuation. [ full story ] 3 May 2006 2006 May Day meeting in Pakistan met by police brutality It is reported that several workers, including women, children and the elderly, were beaten and injured on Tuesday evening when police baton-charged protesters at the Lahore Press Club, following a seminar related to Labour Day. [ full story ] April 2006 28 April 2006 ACIRT contributions recovered CFMEU organizers and ACIRT have recovered $150,000 in unpaid employer ACIRT Contributions for the February to April 2006 period. [ full story ] 26 April 2006 NSW Inquiry Into WorkChoices The NSW Government is undertaking parliamentary inquiry into the effect of Work Choices Legislation on working men and women. [ full story ] 21 April 2006 Amendment to Long Service Payments Act Needed CFMEU calls on State Government to provide for long service credits available for apprentices who complete pre-apprenticeship courses. [ full story ] 12 April 2006 Union win: Taskforce loses prosecution over safety inspection The Howard Government’s Building Industry Taskforce spent $50,000 in a failed attempt to prosecute the building union for investigating safety breaches on a Bondi building site. [ full story ] 11 April 2006 Painter fights for pay from UTS site Iranian building worker Golshan Hedayat is fighting for thousands of dollars in pay and entitlements after being ripped off by painting contractor Express Deco. [ full story ] 10 April 2006 Lauren's Progress Thrills Huxley Family The day bashed Sydney teenager Lauren Huxley ate her first mouthful of food, her overwhelmed father wrote in his diary that the 19-year-old was "truly on the road to recovery". [ full story ] 5 April 2006 Union win for Apprentices After two weeks of campaigning the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union has recovered $13,500 in unpaid wages for two 17 year old apprentices from Sutherland Shire. [ full story ] March 2006 27 March 2006 New IR laws - same HREOC protections against dismissal on grounds of race, sex, disability and age With the Federal Government’s new laws governing workplace relations coming into effect today, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) would like to remind employers that federal and state equal opportunity laws still prohibit employers from dismissing people based on grounds covered under the race, sex, disability and age discrimination Acts. [ full story ] 23 March 2006 Newcastle Council defends working families’ right to weekends Newcastle City Council has acted to defend the right of working families to long weekends only days before the Howard Government’s radical new workplace laws will take effect. [ full story ] 22 March 2006 Post Election Report Australian Electoral Commission declares State Branch of Federal CFMEU (All Divisions) ballot [ click here ] 22 March 2006 Parramatta workers raise $12,000 for Kid’s Hospital Workers on the Ferguson Centre redevelopment will be joined tomorrow by Parramatta MP Julie Owens as they present $12,000 to the Westmead Children’s hospital for much needed equipment. [ full story ] 15 March 2006 More illegals in Port Stephens: still no action from Howard The building union has condemned the Howard Government’s inaction over the importation of illegal workers after four workers were detained in Soldiers Point last week less than two months after the last immigration raids on Port Stephens building sites. [ full story ] February 2006 23 February 2006 Souths privatisation an issue for members: CFMEU In recent months there has been considerable media controversy in respect of the proposed privatisation of the Rabbitohs football club. [ full story ] 22 February 2006 Trade union warning after Pacific Islander workers bashed New Zealand and Pacific Islander workers who come to Australia must make sure they are fully aware of their rights after four young men were brought from the Cook Islands and then allegedly used as slave labour and bashed repeatedly by their employer. [ full story ] 7 February 2006 Union victory for Campbelltown subbie after builder collapse A union campaign to recover monies owed by collapsed builder Westpoint Constructions has given Campbelltown subcontractor Clearwater Construction Services thousand of reasons to smile this week after the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union struck a deal with Westpoint’s financier. [ full story ] 7 February 2006 Policing, Arrests and Detentions Regarding the WTO Protests On February 7, 2006 the Legislative Council Panel on Security will meet and discuss the security arrangements for the WTO's Sixth Ministerial Conference (WTO MC6). [ full story ] 3 February 2006 Howard’s IR reforms threaten Newcastle’s heritage Local building workers will be fined thousands of dollars if they refuse to work on environmentally damaging construction sites when John Howard’s radical new workplace laws take effect in March. [ full story ] Send The Hacienda Luisita Congratulations 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 and email form ] January 2006 23 January 2006 Union demands action over illegal workers in Nelson Bay The building union has demanded action from the Howard Government after seven illegal workers were found on a Nelson Bay building site last Friday. [ full story ] 16 January 2006 Union pays tribute to fallen worker Paul Hughes On Thursday January 5th, CFMEU member Paul Hughes was tragically killed when he fell 90 feet to his death. [ click here ]