Jimmy's weblog

Some of the most significant images in the last few days of the election campaign were the television screens filled with Tasmanian Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) members cheering John Howard as he launched his forestry policy. Seeing one of Australia’s most militant unions publicly supporting their natural enemy raised questions in the mind of many blue-collar workers, and may have swung a number of votes towards the Coalition.

Scott McClean, the CFMEU’s Tasmanian secretary, left his members in no doubt as to who they should vote for.

SCOTT MCLEAN: “Further, we resolve that we have no confidence in Mark Latham’s ability to lead this country.”

The forestry policy announcement proved to be a political master-stroke by John Howard as the Labor party lost two Tasmanian seats to the Liberals while failing to pick up environmental votes elsewhere in the country.

Now it appears the CFMEU is a little worried about what Coalition dominance of the House of Representatives and Senate might mean.

The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union said it would ignore moves to outlaw pattern bargaining and it would not obey laws forcing unionists to hold secret ballots before going on strike. Victorian secretary Martin Kingham said employers could negotiate industry-wide agreements next year in a “peaceful climate” or, by following the Government, in a climate of crippling disputes.

He said: “If the employers go down that track they will be inviting a shitfight to end all shitfights. But my money is on the commonsense approach and the security that business gets from being certain of their labour costs.”

The defiance follows calls by employer groups for the Government to take a stronger stand on workplace reform. Some want Australia’s award system to be further dismantled - even abolished - and replaced by enterprise agreements or individual contracts. Others would like to see the Australian Industrial Relations Commission sacked as the umpire of disputes.

The Government is likely to reintroduce laws exempting small businesses employing fewer than 20 from unfair dismissal laws; impose secret ballots on unions planning strikes; simplify approval processes for individual workplace contracts; and extend enterprise agreements from three to five years. It also wants the AIRC to be held accountable for the effects its decisions have on employment.

After publically betraying the ALP at a critical time and having recently endured a prominent legal case for intimidation, trespassing and vandalism, the CFMEU may find popular support for their fight hard to come by.

Update: It’s becoming clear that Scott McClean wasn’t speaking for the entire CFMEU when he spoke out against Latham but he still has the support of Tasmania’s Labor Premier.

Update: The CFMEU now wants to expel the forestry division for their support of the government’s logging plans. As an unfinancial division of the union, they aren’t in a strong negotiating position.