The CFMEU has won a document discovery order over the withdrawn prosecution of its national secretary Michael O'Connor, in a judgment that ropes in Employment Minster Michaelia Cash.
The Fair Work Ombudsman is pursuing the NUW for losses incurred by Woolworths as a result of alleged unlawful industrial action last year at two of the retailer's distribution centres in Melbourne.
The CFMEU says it will lodge a complaint with the Commonwealth Ombudsman in response to the FWBC's latest legal proceedings, in which the watchdog alleges the union's national and NSW leaders and 11 other officials unlawfully blockaded Sydney's Barangaroo project 12 months ago.
The CFMEU is vicariously liable for a senior official's adverse action when he threatened to put a company out of business, the Federal Court has found.
Boral Resources has had an early win in its court battle with the CFMEU over damages caused by concrete bans, with the Victorian Supreme Court overruling objections from the union, and allowing the company to plead a wide range of evidence on the losses it suffered.
Five waterfront workers have been awarded a total of $120,000 in compensation for the emotional distress they suffered after the MUA named them in "scab posters" that had them fearing for their safety.
The Federal Circuit Court has fined construction company Baulderstone $25,000 for taking adverse action against a worker who resigned his CFMEU membership, along with $7000 in penalties for two HR managers who were carrying out orders and failed to "exercise their choice" to refuse to comply.
The Federal Court in fining the CFMEU $545,000 for unlawful industrial action has warned that it can't expect to keep its registration as a trade union while it "persistently abuses" its privileges.
The High Court will rule on Wednesday on the CFMEU's argument that Boral can't use court discovery processes to force the union to produce documents that might expose it to punishment for contempt for allegedly defying injunctions on Victoria's Regional Rail project.
