Building workers’ unions from around the world are continuing to speak out in solidarity with the Construction Forestry Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) after the Labor government placed the construction division into administration and sacked 270 elected officials last month.
The latest expression of support was a unanimous resolution adopted by delegates at the 5th Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Asia-Pacific Regional Conference, held in Malaysia, over September 11–12.
The BWI, with 350 affiliated trade unions representing about 12 million members in 117 countries, released a statement on August 27 calling “on the Australian government to take immediate steps to return the CFMEU Construction Division to the control of members and to commit to the repeal of this anti-worker legislation”.
Asia-Pacific affiliates at the BWI conference reaffirmed their opposition to the Australian government’s actions, which were denounced as “reckless and authoritarian, eroding democratic principles and the rule of law”.
Delegates condemned the government’s decision to exert “oppressive control over a trade union in the name of combating illegalities, [while] it simultaneously allows big corporations to exploit workers with impunity, trampling on their rights”.
They also warned the “move sets a dangerous precedent, threatening union autonomy not just in Australia but globally”.
Support for the CFMEU has come in from the Trade Union International of Building, Wood, Building Materials and Allied Industries (UITBB), which represents about 2.5 million workers in 60 countries.
The global federation’s general secretary Michalis Papanikolaou said on August 29 that Labor’s intervention is “very concerning not just for the CFMEU but for the broader labour movement across Australia as well as internationally”. He added “these actions are nothing but a blatant attack on the fundamental rights of workers to organise and advocate for their interests”.
Papanikolaou said: “It is alarming that the CFMEU, a trade union that has historically been at the forefront of protecting workers’ rights and ensuring safe working conditions, is now under a politically motivated attack that totally disregards due process. The fact that the [Australian] Labour Party [sic] is a part of this attack is extremely concerning.
“The UITBB stands firmly with the CFMEU in opposing these actions … We will continue to monitor the situation closely and lend our support in any way possible.
“The struggles CFMEU faces today are shared by all the workers in our ranks and their unions across the globe. Together, we will continue to fight for a world where the rights of workers are respected and upheld.”