PM’s warning over CFMEU protests

Anthony Albanese has warned there will be “consequences” if people walk off the job as part of nationwide pro-CFMEU protests.

Rallies supporting the embattled union are taking place in capital cities on Tuesday after its construction and general arm was compelled to accept a government-appointed administrator last Friday.

The federal government last week 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 administration after securing a deal with the Coalition.

Speaking to reporters from the Western Sydney Airport construction site, the Prime Minister defended his government’s action on the CFMEU as being “in the interests of all trade unionists”.

“We respect the work that construction workers do,” he said.

“It’s a tough job and they do magnificent work, including here at this wonderful airport. “What we want to do, though, is to make sure that their union is free of corruption.”

Pressed on whether forcing the CFMEU into administration cut back the ability of workers to unionise, Mr Albanese said the goal was “proper trade unionism”.

“You need to have unions in the building industry, it’s a dangerous industry,” he said.

“But what we want to do is to make sure that they have a union that’s worthy of the incredible work that construction workers do.”

Mr Albanese also said “if there is unprotected industrial action, then there are consequences for that”.

Construction sites are expected to grind to a halt late on Tuesday morning as some workers walk off the job.

Shortly after the Prime Minister’s comments, NSW Police said they were responding to an unauthorised protest in Sydney’s CBD, with “rolling road closures” along Macquarie Street and Elizabeth Street toward Hyde Park.

Some 300 CFMEU officials have been stood down since entering administration on Friday.

While Tuesday’s rallies have received backing from some unions, the CFMEU administrator has distanced itself from any strikes, with a spokesman saying that taking “unprotected industrial action is not lawful” and the union is “no longer involved” in the protests.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers weighed in on the protests, telling the ABC the government was expecting some “blowback” for its action against the CFMEU but urged protesters to be “peaceful”.

He said that “when you appoint an administrator to a union and you move on a couple of hundred officials, there’s going to be blowback.”

“We want these protests to be peaceful today, but they’re not surprising when you take on the leaders of a union with the sorts of behaviour that has been alleged in recent times,” he said.

More to come