Building unions face big fines over strikes TWO construction unions and seven of their officials face significant financial penalties after the building watchdog launched court action over a series of allegedly unlawful strikes at two major project sites in Queensland. The Australian Building and Construction Commission also alleges the unions and their officials defied orders by Fair Work Australia when they engaged in stoppages at the $1.7 billion Gold Coast University Hospital project and the $600 million Law Courts project in Brisbane between February and May this year. Lend Lease is the principal contractor on the two sites, employing 1700 employees, including 115 subcontractors across both projects. On February 28, organisers from the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union allegedly entered the Law Courts site and organised a meeting of about 200 employees at which a motion supporting a 48-hour strike was passed. CFMEU organiser Kane Pearson told Lend Lease that the employees might not return to work unless the company provided the union with details of the agreement with subcontractors. On the same day, a meeting of CFMEU and Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union members voted for a 48-hour strike on the Gold Coast site. Union officials called for an audit of subcontractors on the site. According to the ABCC, CEPU official Beau Malone said words to the effect of: "We do not want to see disruption but we also want to see workers on the same pay rates as each other." Fair Work Australia granted a Lend Lease application for an order to cease the strike action and the employees eventually returned to work on March 2. After the order had expired, a further 48-hour strike was held at the Gold Coast site. Fresh orders were obtained by the company, but some of the employees did not perform work at the site. After another strike at the Law Courts site in April, the CFMEU organised a picket at the Gold Coast site on May 18. One of the organisers allegedly told workers that Lend Lease management "will be trying to see who has the biggest balls and will be trying to starve you out, so you need to hang in for the long haul." On the following day, the union organised a convoy during work hours to drive vehicles from the Gold Coast project to Brisbane. The ABCC alleges that the unions and their officials contravened the Fair Work Act by defying orders of Fair Work Australia made in February and April, and by organising the industrial action. It also alleges they contravened the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act by engaging in the unlawful industrial action on various dates. The maximum penalties for a contravention of the Fair Work Act are $6600 for an individual and $33,000 for an organisation. The maximum penalties for a contravention of the BCII Act are $22,000 for an individual and $110,000 for an organisation. The ABCC is also seeking compensation be paid to parties that have suffered losses as a result of the action.