Construction workers walk off the job across the country
Thousands of workers have put down their tools in support of the CFMEU, after the federal government forced the union's construction branch into administration amid allegations of bullying, corruption, and criminal infiltration.
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00:00This protest, in terms of the scale and the size of it, was enormous.
00:06They started at Trades Hall and it would be fair to say there were thousands upon thousands
00:11of people there.
00:12Trades Hall, of course, a significant location in the storied history of Victoria's labour
00:20movement.
00:21Then they made their way down Russell Street, then across to Exhibition Street and finished
00:26where we're standing now.
00:28We heard some speeches and then we saw some continued chants, of course.
00:35The drums were beating.
00:36We heard several chants in support of former CFMEU Secretary John Setka and then, of course,
00:43in support of the CFMEU itself.
00:46As I mentioned, an enormous showing here today.
00:50A number of reports of workers walking off the job of job sites right across Victoria
00:56and there's plenty of them.
00:57As I've mentioned today, there's about 18 job sites worth over a billion dollars here
01:02in Victoria.
01:03So there's a lot of construction underway and a lot of people working on those sites
01:07and a lot of people on those sites were here today, Ros.
01:10So just remind us what sparked these protests, Elias.
01:14Well, of course, this all comes after allegations were aired in nine newspapers and nine television
01:21programs that corruption and criminal infiltration, even links to outlaw bikie gangs, existed
01:30within the CFMEU and right across the construction industry.
01:35As a result of that, the CFMEU Secretary John Setka resigned and then the union was placed
01:41into administration.
01:43The Fair Work Commission and the Federal Government both had a role in that.
01:48The unions say that that was overly officious.
01:50It was overreach from the Fair Work Commission and the Federal Government and that's why
01:54they're here today.
01:55It wasn't just the CFMEU.
01:56There were other unions here in what they say was a show of solidarity.
02:00We saw the Electrical Trades Union.
02:02We saw the Plumbers Union, the Manufacturing Union, all here today in support of the CFMEU.
02:08Now this industrial action they were taking today, most of the people here were taking
02:12what's called unprotected industrial action, which means their employers may have the right
02:18to dock several hours of pay or even commence proceedings to remove them from their post.
02:23We'll wait to see the outcomes of that and the Prime Minister actually spoke about that
02:28today.
02:29But as I mentioned, a really strong showing here today, mostly, in fact, almost entirely
02:34peaceful protests here.
02:37Of course, all of these protests, CFMEU and construction protests, get pretty rowdy.
02:43As today's did as well, it was loud, there was a lot happening, but police, as far as
02:47we could tell, weren't concerned by any of the behaviour here today.