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BLF 2 ABCC Nil but $200,000 Wasted! The ABCC has abandoned its second-ever prosecution of the BLF. The ABCC’s hopeless case against BLF organiser Eddie Bland and delegate Greg Thomas was set for a 3 day trial in court in June. The cases were dismissed by the Court at the request of the ABCC within the first few hours of the trial on the first day after the BLF’s barrister questioned the ABCC’s main witness, Peter Wiggins, boss of Tri-Nat Enterprises t/a MPD Constructions. Wiggins answers were confused. One of the ABCC’s charges was based on a false accusation that Eddie told Wiggins ‘this is an EBA site and you should have an EBA.’ The ABCC’s attempt to bully the Union out of pursuing EBAs for members, by dragging us through the courts, exemplifies the ABCC’s utterly repugnant, anti-Union nature. The ABCC’s charge shows it is a tool of the Government and employers to prevent the Union securing decent improvements in wages and conditions for workers. Rudd/Gillard’s new version of the ABCC must be abolished.
The Union’s legal costs will be approximately $50 000. The ABCC probably spent more than that in taxpayers money on their hopeless case. Taxpayers money was also spent by the Court system itself to hear the case. BLF members and other taxpayers have had around $120 000 in total taken from them by the ABCC for this case alone. This case took a very similar course to one pursued by the ABCC against BLF Organiser John Lund several years ago.
The case against John was also abandoned very early, but not before costing the Union and taxpayers a small fortune. It seems the ABCC knows it cannot get a conviction against the BLF and so instead, it will attempt to bleed the Union dry by launching and then withdrawing un-winnable cases.
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