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‘Deduct ABCC fines from funding to ALP’

Dick Nichols

22 November 2008

Geelong Trades Hall secretary Tim Gooden thinks it’s high time for the construction industry unions to “stop feeding the hand that strangles us”. Gooden was referring to the fact that under the legislation that set up the Australian Building and Construction Commission, unions and workers have been hit with $1.39 million in fines ($654,000 of which has been suspended).

Gooden said: “It’s not just my personal opinion. Scores of unionists told me how bitter they are about [Prime Minister Kevin] Rudd’s keeping the ABCC after everything they did to help him defeat [John] Howard. The trade union movement, in particular the building industry unions, contributed millions of dollars and tens of thousands of volunteer hours.

“If it hadn’t been for the door-knocking efforts of ordinary members of the CFMEU [Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union] and other construction industry unions, Kevin Rudd wouldn’t be in government and a swathe of new Labor MPs wouldn’t be enjoying the delights of Parliament House.”

According to the Geelong unionist, “the building industry unions should reduce the amount they pay the ALP by what they and their members have been fined under ABCC legislation. Then the penny might finally drop in Canberra.”