Calls for CFMEU 'clean-up' following reports of gender violence on Australian building sites
Following calls for an urgent “clean-up” of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) after reports of gender-based violence, an academic says there’s no excuse if transparency and accountability are not in place across all workplaces.
“The boundary between home and work is quite permeable. The core practice of all businesses should be showing compassion, respect and equity to all employees. There’s no reason for business leaders not to deal with this head on,” Senior Lecturer in Macquarie University’s Department of Management, Senia Kalfa, told HRD.
“Workplaces are organisational citizens and they have a role to play in stopping this kind of harassment. We can’t hide it; we can’t not talk about it.”
Recently, the Australian Industry Group said “entrenched problems in the construction industry” need to be addressed following a report from The Syndey Morning Herald outlining harassment experienced by women in the industry.
One report cited a woman allegedly being bashed by a "bikie-linked" health and safety representative on his lunch break from a government-funded project, while another woman was said to have been locked in a small room at a half-built state government hospital, according to the Herald report.
“The latest extraordinary revelations of gender-based violence on Australian building sites are appalling and a shameful wake-up call that not enough is being done to eradicate stomach-churning culture problems propagated by the CFMEU's leadership,” Chief Executive of the Ai Group, Innes Willox, said in a statement.
“It is clear that real action is needed, and more action than the administrator alone can deliver. The administrator has already conceded to the parliament he is clearly restricted in what he can do to clean up his union.”
The Ai Group, appointed an administrator last year – calling it the "first step" to clean up the industry.
With many Australians saying they’d leave their job if harassment wasn’t addressed in the workplace, Kalfa emphasised the importance of “transparency”.
“Shine a light on the monster and it’ll go away. We assume domestic violence generally happens at home, but it can – and does – spill into the workplace.”
This is a sentiment shared by Russell Lansbury, Professor Emeritus at the University of Sydney.
He told HRD that whilst the construction industry has seen equality gains in the last decade, there is still a long way to go to achieve true equity.
“Putting a positive on this, there are more women in the industry. Before, if you were a plumber, carpenter, builder – you were a man. Just because that was the case, it doesn’t give them the right to discriminate.”
“We’ve got to get to a place where our workforce represents the general public. We’re about 50:50 men and women – so why aren’t the places we’re working like that, too? How can we represent the people that work for us if we’re not recognising difference?” Lansbury added.
Citing her own research, Kalfa noted that HR leaders have “tough moral decisions” to make when dealing with reports of violence.
“It’s about providing care which has to be survivor-led. It has to be structured and look at policies put in place. It’s embedded in training,” she said.
“What we tell employees in the business is to try and change the culture in a way that’s not forceful and respects the wishes of the person affected.”
Many women disclose their trauma when they have no other choice, they’re at crisis point, Kalfa said.
“We need to change how we support women in the workplace. The more we talk, the better. People need to feel like they can speak up, regardless of what’s happened to them.”
Following an emergency meeting with the 500 Victorian CFMEU construction shop stewards, a series of ‘resolutions’ endorsing a new direction for the union was passed.
CFMEU National Secretary, Zach Smith, said the resolutions are “a statement” that the union has “drawn a line in the sand against criminality and corruption.”
“Shop stewards proudly stated that not only does the Union categorically stand against violence and harassment against women, we are unanimous in our commitment to stand side by side with the women of construction as we make our workplaces a safe space for all workers,” he added.
