The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has illustrated several matters in a recent media release – the safety of migrant labourers and the unacceptable rate of fatalities in the Australian Construction industry. Sadly these issues were mentioned in a media release protesting about the continuation of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).
The media release was published on the eve of a new head of the ABCC and clearly wanted to piggy-back on media attention of the appointment. The new head has been announced to be a lawyer, Leigh Johns, who has a political pedigree that should make him more palatable to the union movement. (Johns is the author of several published legal articles including one in 1998 on “the obligation of mutual trust and confidence” and a 2002 article on “Bribery and Networking“) His appointment could be interpreted as part of the Labour Government’s plan to gently ease the ABCC into an inspectorate that is integrated within the government structure. The trade union ideology seems to require a continued animosity to this strategy, particularly as there is no resolution yet on ABCC action against Ark Tribe. Continue reading “Australian unions are being distracted from OHS”