Minister's office pressured builder to make deal with CFMEU, inquiry hears

Résumé détaillé

The royal commission into Victoria's Big Build projects hears a government minister's office had decided a major contractor would not win work on public sites if it did not give…

The royal commission into the CFMEU and Victoria's Big Build projects has heard the union raised dozens of safety concerns with the Sunbury level crossing removal project in one week in 2022.

A site supervisor told he hearing he suspected the union was targeting the project because it was the only large rail infrastructure construction site without a CFMEU-appointed health and safety officer.

A construction site health and safety representative has told the royal commission into Victoria's Big Build how casual workers on a project were pushed into becoming CFMEU members, after more than two dozen union stoppages.

This week's hearings have focused on events related to a work stoppage at a level crossing removal project in Melbourne's north, which was contracted to the John Holland construction company.

In 2022, work ceased on the Gap Road project on June 6 and resumed on June 7 after control of the site was transferred to the CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union).

The commission heard that project costs blew out by an estimated $6 million.

Today's first witness was Glenn Tyrrell, a crane operator on the Gap Road project who workers had voted to be their health and safety representative.

He said there was not much of a union presence at the Gap Road project until after April 2022 after which, at times, up to four CFMEU organisers would turn up and present John Holland site management with safety concerns.

"They'd just come on site and literally stop the whole job," Mr Tyrrell told the hearing.

Début de l'article, extrait de ABC Business. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.