The ABCC has launched a Federal Court action alleging unlawful industrial action against Noel Washington, the CFMEU official already facing charges for refusing to attend an interview.
The ABCC claims that in October 2006 Washington held a stop-work meeting with four workers employed by a sub-contractor on a construction site in Melbourne's Southbank precinct.
The workers refused to work on a crane installation for part of that afternoon as a result of the meeting, it alleges.
The ABCC also claims Washington then threatened to establish a picket against another sub-contractor at the site unless it signed a union agreement with the CFMEU.
Washington and the CFMEU are accused of breaching s38, s44 and s45 of the BCII Act by engaging and inciting others to engage in unlawful industrial action, discriminating against another party because they have not signed a union agreement and threatening industrial action to coerce another party to sign a union agreement.
CFMEU construction and general division national secretary Dave Noonan says the ABCC is attempting to smear the reputation of Washington in the lead-up to his trial in the Geelong Magistrate's Court in December (see Related Article).
"These proceedings are linked with the fact that Noel Washington is being prosecuted for refusing to attend an interview with the ABCC. It is clear the ABCC is embarrassed by the public scrutiny that is starting to occur of their extraordinary and repressive powers," Noonan says.
