The Federal Court at a directions hearings on Friday will deal with multimillion dollar bids by Qube Logistics and Patrick Stevedores to sue the MUA and officials for damages as a result of bans earlier this year on loading and unloading containers at Port Botany.
The Federal Court has imposed record fines totalling more than $2.4 million against the CFMEU national and NSW branches and nine officials over breaches at Barangaroo in 2014, but says that without "legislative action" even higher penalties currently available under the law might not deter the militant union.
A full Federal Court has fined the CFMEU $300,000 and the CEPU $130,000 over a 2011 industrial campaign; penalties that are almost three times higher than originally sought by the construction watchdog.
The RTBU says public bus drivers across Sydney who today wore mufti and refused to collect fares to protest privatisation plans were unaware of a NSW IRC order overnight demanding that it direct members not to engage in any form of industrial action.
NSW's Berejiklian Government has been forced to discontinue its Supreme Court action against the RTBU for last week's 24-hour wildcat bus strike because it pursued the wrong branch of the union.
The Federal Court has found CFMEU construction and general division NSW branch secretary Brian Parker intended to coerce construction giant Lend Lease to reinstate a delegate when he organised for 700 workers to walk off the major Barangaroo South job three years ago.
The Federal Court has refused to issue CFMEU organiser Drew MacDonald a certificate protecting him from self-incrimination in proceedings brought by the ABCC over alleged unprotected action.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has dropped its prosecution of the MUA and seven seafarers, because the FWC's order for them to cease industrial action is likely to be invalid.
