A mass meeting of CFMEU members on 26 May at Festival Hall unanimously endorsed the new EBA.
With a record number of members in attendance, we voted for another landmark agreement that delivers 5 per cent pay rises each year for three years and five years of industry RDO calendars.
Hailed as the best EBA for construction workers in Australia, what is even more remarkable is that it was negotiated while the union has been under the most vicious attacks in living memory.
Two years of a Royal Commission that spat out lies, arrests of officials (including myself and Assistant Secretary Shaun Reardon), a dirty campaign against the entire union by the Turnbull Government and their FWBC, and a double dissolution election brought on by the government’s failure to introduce the ABCC was the backdrop to our EBA campaign.
Make no mistake, this is class war and they had us fighting on every front: in the courts, in the parliament and in the media.
And despite everything thrown at us, we delivered
Our priority was to secure a deal before the election so that your wages and conditions were protected from attacks by a re-elected Turnbull Government.
Unfortunately, they have been re-elected, but not in the way they expected. They have the slimmest of majorities and many seats were won by a few hundred votes. This has put a dampener on their ability to pass anti-worker laws as everything will have to be negotiated through a Senate that is even more unpredictable than the last one.
Delivering on leave entitlements, safety and equality
There are some firsts in this agreement that I’m very proud of. There will be access to parental leave and paid family violence leave under the deal, a crackdown on sham contracting to stop the proliferation of ABNs and, for the first time, agreement in writing for four-man crane crews to improve safety.
As part of our campaign to attract more women to the industry, there will be mandatory female toilets on building sites. I’m not interested in paying lip service to equality.
I want to deliver concrete changes that will make it easier for women to work in the industry and play a bigger role in the union.
For the first time, the union, in cooperation with employers, is embarking on a campaign to have our trades registered and licensed like plumbers and electricians. We are doing this to protect the trades and produce good tradespeople for the benefit of the industry and the community.
There is no bigger proof of the value of CFMEU membership than the success of our EBA campaign. That we were able to deliver improved benefits for workers under such ruthless conditions is sure to make history.
While we celebrate, let’s not forget about safety. Fantastic wages and conditions are not worth anything if you or your loved ones don't come home safely at night.
We all played our part in getting this agreement and, like me, I hope you feel proud of our achievement.