Victoria Police have today charged CFMEU construction and general division Victorian branch secretary John Setka and his deputy Shaun Reardon with blackmail, for allegedly pressuring concrete supplier Boral over its relationship with the builder Grocon.
Former NUW NSW branch secretary Derrick Belan has rejected legal arguments by his old union that he was largely responsible for its governance problems.
CFMEU national secretary Michael O'Connor has been described in Federal Parliament as the "Sepp Blatter of the union movement" by a Nationals senator in tabling affidavits by three former CFMEU officials who continue to claim they were driven out of the NSW construction branch for whistleblowing.
The AWU and Cleanevent are awaiting a Federal Court ruling on their legal tussle over the modern award to cover cleaners at the Spotless group subsidiary.
The NUW's NSW branch has admitted "very serious governance failures" in recent years, while seeking to defend president Marilyn Issanchon and new state secretary Wayne Meaney.
The HSU has told the Federal Court it should not hear an appeal by former national secretary Kathy Jackson against repaying $1.4 million, because her status as an undischarged bankrupt means she has no standing.
A "grave failure of governance" within the NUW's NSW branch allowed "apparently criminal conduct" to go undetected for years, according to counsel assisting the Heydon Royal Commission.
The NUW's national office is seeking to jointly manage the NSW branch in the wake of the alleged misuse of credit cards that emerged at Heydon Royal Commission hearings.
