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Stockholm Syndrome:
A coping mechanism to a captive in an abusive situation. People develop positive feelings toward their captors or abusers over time.
Fee-paying Australian union members deserve intelligent representation, honesty, transparency, and access to support and services that are reasonable, reliable, and otherwise out of reach.
Sadly, Australian construction workers are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, having never experienced anything but the lack-lustre support the CFMEU offers members in times of need, and members now adopt and protect the rotten culture that brings the union down in so many ways.
The evidence is everywhere and has been on display for many years. In fact, a worker’s CFMEU affiliation is a sign, to many employers in the industry, they’re a rotten egg that will spoil the culture within their small teams and businesses.
No right-of-association laws will ever dampen an employer’s general expectation that hiring a CFMEU member into their business is probably a really bad idea.
Bikies & criminals being recruited, or holding positions of employment within the ranks of the CFMEU are a smoke screen for the real problems this union presents.
After almost two decades of exposure to this Union’s antics (and others), I can hand-on-heart state that any public display of this union terminating the employment of criminals and underworld figures will do nothing at all to curtail to real problems this union poses.
In some ways, the recent expose’ on the CFMEU and its conduct, though much needed, doesn’t even qualify as ‘tip-of-the-iceberg’ when it comes to reasons the CFMEU is the source of so much trouble.
Unfortunately, we’re now at risk of the Labor government getting away with running a shallow campaign for show – publicly terminating criminals and bikies to present the average Aussie voter with an image of the problem being solved.
Employing people with criminal records doesn’t make an organisation ‘criminal’, but you know what does?
Everything listed is what we’ve witnessed and experienced at varying levels from the union and its members. This conduct is the reason why many of us have been labelling this union a criminal organisation for many, many years.
And here is a list of every organisation that hasn’t only had knowledge of the problems, but has had the conduct formally reported to them in detail:
The sad reality is, we don’t even need to mention allegations of corruption, taking cash payments for enterprise bargaining agreements, signing dishonest legal declarations, racketeering, and whatever else the recent media stories have laid bare.
The union’s members and employees have been guilty of horrific acts against civilians, businesses and even its own members for decades.
The everyday conduct of those affiliated with this union is, in fact, criminal. The union relentlessly defends these acts, openly defies orders and instructions not to conduct these acts and has declared their conduct is justified to enable them to fulfil their cause or mission.
Consider this.
Permanent changes to a poor culture in a business with only 30 employees takes at least a year, sometimes longer to achieve. The CFMEU is a large, decentralised, national organisation.
If anyone thinks the government can appoint an administrator (who will obviously be union-friendly) who can change any of this union’s core values, get that person to a psych as a matter of urgency – they need help.
Structurally, the organisation is far too decentralised to implement any kind of standards or accountability where divisions are held to a standard of conduct.
Its factions are too threatened and arrogant to believe in a leadership model other than one they create for themselves, and the infighting all unions are famous for will never stop where a national leadership authority is established to manage the conduct of state union bodies.
The current national leadership is nothing more than a mouthpiece. It’s open declaration that it willingly allows criminals to join its ranks under the theory that everyone deserves a second chance, is a total misfire and is dumb for an organisation that plays a game of such high stakes.
Its members ought to be very concerned about many public declarations their union makes.
If the Union sees itself as a necessary ‘peak body’ for workers, how can its own standards and code of conduct, and recruitment be so far below the average standards of organisations in its sector?
How can this union have any genuine respect of its members when it’s standards are far lower than 99% of the employers their member’s work for. It simply must be better – but the CFMEU is unable to be better, because it is flawed on every level.
The divisional structure of this organisation means it is far too decentralised to have any level of control and authority over the conduct of its factions. Any reasonable attempt of change can’t be done at the national level. It would require a state-by-state concerted effort of harsh and authoritarian leadership to make any change in behaviour, and this could take many years if it’s achievable at all.
The factions of the organisation don’t respect each other and simply cannot stop fighting each other, let alone the seemingly impossible prospect of getting the organisation aligned to a single vision. The development of the organisation is majorly flawed, and after years of operating this way, it now has deep divides within, and its too far gone to turn the ship around.
Criminal conduct is the normal way of doing business, and the history detailing the tens of millions of dollars in penalties is more then enough evidence to tell that story. This is only what they’ve been pulled up for. Who knows the true volume of illegal and unlawful conduct that slipped through, unreported and unpunished. The legal history against this union is the sign that it simply cannot and will not conduct its business within the confines of the law – it refuses to apologise for anything, and its leaders would rather destroy the union than take responsibility for their actions.
An organisation that is structurally ineffective, operationally unable, and behaviourally unwilling to operate reasonably is an organisation that shouldn’t exist. It doesn’t matter if you’re a small, medium or large employer, peak body or union, it is simply unacceptable to subject people to the damage these organisations willingly cause.
This organisation significantly lacks the skills required to operate a lawful and compliant organisation. The fundamental skills required to be a skilled leader doing good work for the benefit of fee-paying members without breaking the law are obviously missing.
But will it ever happen?
The Labour government:
We’re now seeing the most senior executives from Superannuation organisations associated to the CFMEU, like CBUS, resign and walk out the door immediately.
We have the CFMEU itself telling the public, we’re okay, we know how to fix the problems ourselves, there’s nothing to see here. Of course, they’re saying this – external eyes looking into things only exposes the extent to which unlawful conduct is hidden in broad daylight.
We have State leaders and ACTU executives, in one breath, claiming they knew nothing of complaints against the CFMEU, and in the next, having to explain away evidence dating back ten years demonstrating they were directly approached about the CFMEU’s conduct with the very same allegations being raised.
We have top tier contracting companies absolutely aware of the CFMEU’s approach to ‘doing business’, and leading sub-contractors to slaughter on their own projects.
We’ve got sub-contractors who willingly paid money to the CFMEU to buy a ‘leg up’ and a free run on state projects, with more stories coming to light across the country of the same arrangements.
Industrial Relations in Australia is a mess, and we have a socialist Prime Minister – Anthony Albanese openly declaring he will continue to push ACTU wish lists into law (as his team did for the CFMEU).
What do you expect this government will do to protect the construction industry and its workers?
The Answer: S.F.A.
