Master Builders rejects union claims over Industry Watchdog

Master Builders Australia, criticised the ACTU and the building unions for ignoring the facts about the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) in tackling unacceptable unlawful industrial action, coercion and intimidation on building sites.

Mr Wilhelm Harnisch, CEO of Master Builders Australia said, “The fact is the ABCC is about stamping out a culture of coercion and intimidation in the commercial building sector; the ACTU and the building unions are out of touch in calling for the abolition of the ABCC powers.

“The inconvenient truth for the unions is that there exists a mountain of evidence for over two decades which justifies the need for a body like the ABCC.

“The mountain of evidence goes back to the late 1980’s when the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) was deregistered, followed by the 1992 Giles Royal Commission, the 2003 Cole Royal Commission, and more recently the 2009 Wilcox Inquiry, and this is on top of numerous court decisions and state government inquiries which have also drawn the same conclusion.

“The inconvenient truth for the unions is that there is systemic and entrenched unlawful behaviour by building unions on building sites.

“The mountain of evidence supports the argument that the powers of the ABCC should stay and that construction workers should be subject to the specialised industrial laws.

“The ACTU and the building unions, as a minimum, need to publicly repudiate the current culture of coercion and intimidation as industrial weapons if the building industry is to take them seriously.

“The various inquiries and Royal Commissions show that building unions do not behave in line with normal community standards and whether they like it or not they continue to be judged as being clearly out of step.”

Mr Harnisch said, “The work of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) has seen the industry experience an era of unprecedented industrial peace and productivity.

“A recent independent study shows that since the introduction of the ABCC there has been an annual economic welfare gain of $5.5 billion to the community with a 10 percent out-performance in construction industry labour productivity.

“The Government’s infrastructure stimulus package and economic recovery strategy will be riding on the industry’s ability to get on with the job and to deliver on time and on budget.”