CFMEU broke the law 2,600 times, Fair Work claims in court documents

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The CFMEU is facing fresh allegations of misconduct, with the Fair Work Commission investigating whether the union misappropriated funds. The government has already announced a review into the union but are facing calls to do more.

Transcript

00:00Some light relief for the Premier, as she tries to handle yet another alarming accusation

00:08being levelled at the CFMEU.

00:10This is not how unions should be operating.

00:13The Fair Work Commission and Victoria Police are investigating whether the embattled construction

00:17sector of the CFMEU secretly funnelled $180,000 of union funds through to the Health Workers

00:25Union Secretary, Diana Asmar.

00:28All I care is about the members.

00:30The Commission is investigating whether that cash was used for Ms Asmar's campaign to be

00:35re-elected as the head of the union branch, an election where she ran unopposed.

00:40Ms Asmar did not respond to the ABC's request for comment.

00:44As I am aware to date, these allegations have got no intersection with Victorian Government

00:50activity.

00:51The allegation comes at a time when the Fair Work Commission is in court applying for the

00:55construction branch of the CFMEU to be placed into administration.

01:00Documents submitted to the court reveal that the CFMEU breached workplace law 2,600 times

01:06over two decades and accumulated $24 million in fines.

01:11If this case drags on, the Federal Government says it plans to introduce legislation that

01:17would allow it to bypass the court process and directly appoint Administrator Mark Irving.

01:22Mr Irving and I would expect a team supporting his administration would take over those functions

01:28and make all of the decisions in relation to the running and also the cleaning up of

01:33the union.

01:34The opposition says that and a State Government commissioned independent inquiry won't be

01:40enough.

01:41That's not a serious effort to get into the real facts of this controversy, which are

01:46so serious.

01:47Serious issues with no easy solution.

01:52For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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