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Sydney, Australia — Australia on Wednesday pledged to clean up one of its most powerful trade unions, which has been tarred by accusations of intimidating “thuggery”, corruption and cozy ties to organized crime.
Local media have in recent days unearthed a litany of allegations concerning Australia’s main construction union, including claims senior officials accepted bribes for work and traded favors with motorcycle gangs.
Workplace relations minister Tony Burke said the stories of union “thuggery” were “abhorrent”, adding that he had asked police to investigate and prosecute any crimes.
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Burke said the government would focus on “cleaning out who is in the organization” and “getting rid” of the criminal elements.
The Fair Work Commission, Australia’s industrial umpire, has been appointed to oversee impacted branches of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union in the states of Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.
The union boasts more than 100,000 members nationwide and has historically had ties to factions in Australia’s governing Labor Party.
In recent years officials in the union’s construction division had consorted with underworld figures and blacklisted building companies that did not bow to demands, according to reports by Australia’s Nine Network.
The reports also alleged senior figures had threatened violence against contractors who aligned themselves with rival unions.
“What we want is corruption to stop and inappropriate activity to stop,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday.
Union national secretary Zach Smith said the organisation had “zero tolerance for criminality” and would swiftly remove “anyone found to have engaged in criminal conduct”.