WA: Cole royal commission resumes after eventful week
By Selina Day
PERTH, April 1 AAP - The building industry royal commission will resume tomorrow, afteran eventful week in which a senior unionist was charged with using standover tactics toforce workers to join the CFMEU.
Commissioner Terence Cole QC is conducting Perth hearings of the royal commission intoalleged intimidatory tactics within the building and construction industry.
Last Thursday, before the commission stopped proceedings for Easter, Construction ForestryMining and Energy Union WA assistant secretary Joe McDonald was charged by the West Australiangovernment with using standover tactics to force workers to join the union.
The charge relates to a threatened strike on a refurbishment project at the WACA -which the commission was told had put in jeopardy the second Ashes Test to be played therein November.
Mr McDonald had told the commission he would do everything in his power to ensure everybuilding and construction worker in Perth's CBD became a member of the CFMEU, includingcalling a strike at the WACA project unless non-union members joined up.
The charge was prepared by the WA Department of Consumer and Employment Protection'sBuilding Industry and Special Projects Inspectorate (BISPI), and issued separately fromthe commission.
It relates to contravening the freedom of association provisions of the WA IndustrialRelations Act 1979.
The serving of the summons on Mr McDonald came just three days after Mr Cole threatenedthe union official with jail for refusing several times to answer questions in the commission.
When the royal commission resumes tomorrow, Mr Cole is expected to hear submissionsfrom the Master Builders Association.
CFMEU WA secretary Kevin Reynolds had been subpoenaed to appear tomorrow but his appearancehas been put back.
Mr Reynolds said before the commission began that he would not co-operate with Mr Cole,other than as required by law.
But he said last week that he was keen to get into the stand after listening to twoweeks of adverse evidence about his union.
AAP sd/ge/sb
KEYWORD: COLE
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