On 28 July 2010 ABC Commissioner John Lloyd made the following comments with regards to the record $1.3m penalty ordered on the CFMEU, AMWU and three union officials following the West Gate Bridge dispute.
ABC Commissioner John Lloyd: No Australian employee should have to endure the abuse and threats that workers on the West Gate Bridge were subject to. The ABCC has held the unions and their officials accountable for their conduct. It is important that those who contravene the law are held accountable. There is no place in Australian workplace relations for thuggery.
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John Lloyd: The unions and their representatives have been held to account for their behaviour. As the regulator, it is rewarding to see the results of a lengthy investigation and court case come to fruition and result in a record penalty.
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John Lloyd: The ABCC role is to protect the rights of everyone in the building and construction industry. We have secured $1.3m in penalties over the West Gate Bridge dispute and I hope this serves as a deterrent to future conduct of this kind.
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John Lloyd: People in the construction industry should be encouraged that they are entitled to stand up to intimidation and thuggery. Such conduct has absolutely no place in Australian workplaces in 2010.
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