Chants of “F*** Albo” and “hands off our union” have been heard across Sydney’s CBD as thousands of protesters in support of the embattled CFMEU took to the streets despite warnings against unauthorised strikes.
More than a thousand construction workers cheered and applauded former CFMEU NSW secretary Darren Greenfield as he addressed the rally outside state parliament on Tuesday.
This was one of several protests across the country, with more than 10,000 workers walking out and demonstrations taking place in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.
Mr Greenfield criticised Labor after the federal government forced the CFMEU into bankruptcy last week, calling Premier Anthony Albanese a “rotten bastard”.
Mr Greenfield lost his job as head of the CFMEU NSW on Friday after the union’s construction and general branches were forced to accept a government-appointed administrator.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Greenfield told the crowd.
Similar scenes have occurred in other capitals across the country, including Melbourne and Brisbane.
Last week, the federal government passed a bill giving it powers to force the union, which has been dogged by allegations of widespread corruption and links to organised crime, into bankruptcy after reaching a deal with the Coalition.
Chants of “F*** Albo” and “hands off our union” have echoed across Sydney’s CBD as thousands of protesters supporting the embattled CFMEU took to the streets despite warnings against unauthorised strikes (pictured, protesters in Melbourne)
More than a thousand construction workers cheered and applauded former CFMEU NSW secretary Darren Greenfield as he addressed the rally outside state parliament on Tuesday (pictured: protesters in Sydney)
The streets of Melbourne were filled with protesters on Tuesday
Mr Albanese has previously warned there will be “consequences” if people walk off the job as part of the nationwide protests.
Speaking to reporters from the Western Sydney Airport site, the Prime Minister defended his government’s action towards the CFMEU, saying it was “in the interests of all unionists”.
“We respect the work that construction workers do,” he said.
It’s hard work and they do a great job, even here at this wonderful airport.
“But what we want to do is make sure that your union is free from corruption.”
Asked whether forcing the CFMEU into bankruptcy would reduce workers’ ability to unionise, Mr Albanese said the aim was “proper unionism”.
“There needs to be unions in the construction industry. It’s a dangerous industry,” he said.
“But what we want to do is make sure that they have a union that is worthy of the incredible work that construction workers do.”
Police kept a close eye on protesters as protests erupted in Sydney
Mr Greenfield lost his job as head of the CFMEU NSW on Friday, after the union’s construction and general branches were forced to accept a government-appointed administrator (pictured, protesters in Brisbane)
Asked whether forcing the CFMEU into bankruptcy would reduce workers’ ability to unionise, Albanese said the goal was “proper unionism” (pictured: Sydney protesters)
CFMEU members marched through Brisbane’s CBD in a mass protest.
Mr Albanese also said: “If there is unprotected industrial action then there will be consequences for that.”
Shortly after Mr Albanese’s comments, NSW Police said it was responding to an unauthorised protest in Sydney’s CBD, with “rolling road closures” in place along Macquarie St and Elizabeth St towards Hyde Park.
Some 300 CFMEU staff have been made redundant since the union entered administration last week.
Although Tuesday’s demonstrations received backing from some unions, the CFMEU administrator has distanced itself from any strike action, with a spokesman saying that taking “industrial action without protection is not legal” and that the union is “no longer involved” in the protests.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers spoke at the protests, telling the ABC the government expected some “backlash” for its action against the CFMEU, but urged protesters to be “peaceful”.
He said that “when you appoint a trustee to a union and you fire a couple hundred union members, there are going to be consequences.”
“We want these protests to be peaceful today, but they are not surprising when you are confronted by the leaders of a union with the kind of behaviour that has been alleged in recent times,” he said.
CFMEU Deputy State Secretary Jade Ingham speaks at the Brisbane rally
Some 300 CFMEU staff have been sacked since the union entered administration last week (pictured: Sydneysiders at the protest)
Treasurer Jim Chalmers intervened at the protests, telling the ABC that the government expected some “backlash” for its action against the CFMEU, but urged protesters to be “peaceful” (pictured: protesters in Sydney)