The construction union’s Victorian branch and its former president have been fined $245,000 for attempting to coerce a scaffolding company operating on a Maribyrnong building site.
The Federal Court ordered the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union to pay $210,000 in penalties for threatening to put Red & Blue Scaffolding out of business because it refused to hire a shop steward in 2013.
Former branch president Ralph Edwards was fined $35,000 over his role in attempts to block Red & Blue Scaffolding from entering the La Scala construction site in Maribyrnong and another site in South Yarra unless it employed a nominated CFMEU member.
The legal action was brought by Fair Work Building and Construction, the building industry watchdog.
The court heard the CFMEU had broken industrial laws more than 100 times since 2003.
Justice Christopher Jessup said the union’s “repeated contravening conduct” had been the subject of sustained judicial criticism for a long period of time.
He permanently stayed a number of the penalties, reducing the CFMEU fine to $126,000 and Mr Edwards’ fine to $21,000.
He said the case was devoid of any mitigating circumstances.
“The union has shown no contrition and has not co-operated with the regulator.”
