News

The arrest of ACT CFMEU organiser Johnny Lomax for negotiating a pay rise heralds a dark chapter in Australian industrial relations, according to the CFMEU.

Mr Lomax who is appearing in the ACT Magistrates court this morning was charged with blackmail for securing a pay rise for workers that resulted in a financial loss for the employer.

National CFMEU Construction secretary Dave Noonan said that Mr Lomax’s charge goes against the legal framework that has operated in Australia for over a hundred years.

A national television advertising campaign highlighting flaws in the Abbott Government's recently signedfree trade agreement with China will begin airing from tonight, warning that the deal will leave Australian workers "without a hope."

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union advertisements — which will begin tonight in the ACT, Tasmania and Queensland — come as the union accused Trade Minister Andrew Robb ofdeliberately misleading the Australian public in his attempts to promote the agreement.

Northern Australian businesses will be able to exploit free Indigenous labour as a result of the Abbott Government's strategy to boost Indigenous workforce participation in remote communities.

The Union representing timber workers at Carter Holt Harvey Pinepanels and LVL sites in south east SA is calling on Barker MP Tony Pasin to support a motion to be debated in the House of Representatives on Monday to strengthen the compliance for safety and standards of imported engineered wood products.