ABC Commissioner John Lloyd today reiterated that the CFMEU’s claims of political interference by the ABCC are completely false.
“These claims are unfounded, unsubstantiated and incorrect. They are merely claims by the union,” Mr Lloyd said.
“The ABCC does not consider, or audit, the display of political material.
“I reject the union’s claims of political interference and ask that the CFMEU and its senior officers desist from making such inaccurate and unfounded allegations.”
Mr Noonan, Federal Construction Secretary of the CFMEU, accused the ABCC of telling a building worker to remove anti-Government stickers from his car.
Mr Lloyd said the ABCC does not and will not ban building industry participants from displaying political messages.
The ABCC’s role is to ensure workplace relations laws are enforced in the building and construction industry. It is also responsible for investigating alleged breaches of the industrial relations provisions of the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry.
The National Code’s Implementation Guidelines state that use of signs, posters and paraphernalia that convey a message that union membership is not a matter of individual choice is inconsistent with the Code.
“The ABCC assesses the complete environment of a building site when making a determination on whether or not a building site may contravene the freedom of association provisions of the National Code,” Mr Lloyd said.
“ABCC inspectors are unlikely to nominate the flying of a single union flag on a site as a concern. However, if the site shed is covered in union stickers and all workers wear union paraphernalia there may be a breach of the freedom of association provisions of the Code.”