Kieran James Sydney's Construction Union Strategy & Immigrant Workers in Black

This book studies the Sydney (Lidcombe) branch of Australias CFMEU in an attempt to document and critique its branch level strategy in the year immediately after the removal of the HowardCostello Government, i.e. November 2007 to November 2008. This transitional time, prior to the RuddGillard Government releasing its own plans for workplace relations, was a time of excitement and anticipation in union offices and building sites across the country as people perceived that the balance of power between labour and capital had changed. However, industry participants remained unsure of exactly how far the new government would go in dismantling the repressive workplace laws of its predecessor. CFMEU strategy at the Sydney branch level revolved around a program of rebuilding influence on the building sites. We also document CFMEU strategy in relation to immigrant worker issues, as revealed through several microcases, and offer some observations as to how effective the CFMEUs actions were in each case. | Kieran James Sydney's Construction Union Strategy & Immigrant Workers in Black