“In an abundance of caution,as a health and safety measure,we yesterday advised staff to work from home,” a spokesperson told this masthead.
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A senior industrial relations source said the government was so far struggling to find an appropriate administrator,though the decision would be formally made by the Fair Work Commission.
This masthead revealed in February that Labor had nominated Rothman late last year to become a deputycommissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission before hisname was pulled due to concerns over his Labor links.
In the late 1980s,the International Labour Organisation selected him to advise the Soviet Union and Mikhail Gorbachev on attempts to establish free trade unions.
Coalition industrial relations spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said whoever was appointed as administrator “should be completely independent with no present or previous union or political affiliations”.
“Australians need to have complete confidence in the processes involved and that includes no actual or perceived political conflicts,” she said.
Rothman was contacted for comment.
The Labor Party’s national executive voted on Thursday morning to suspend the CFMEU from the NSW,Victorian,South Australian and Tasmanian branches of the Labor Party.
ALP national secretary Paul Erickson said the party would consider extending the suspension to other state branches of the construction division “should they be placed into administration”.
“For the duration of the suspension,the branches of the CFMEU that have been suspended will be excluded from all rights ordinarily afforded to an affiliated union under Labor’s national constitution and the rules of the ALP state branches,” Erickson said in a written statement.
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“The number one job of any union and its officials is to look after its members. The reported behaviour is the complete opposite of this.”
After the union movement peak body indefinitely suspended the CFMEU this week,ACTU secretary Sally McManus told ABC’sRN Breakfast program on Thursday morning “a few people” had raised the issue of her safety,but did not say whether she was concerned about herself.
“We will do what’s necessary,” she said. “I will do what’s necessary. The union leadership will do what’s necessary;we will not flinch,” she said.
On Thursday,Michael Ravbar,the secretary of the CFMEU in Queensland and the Northern Territory and a former member of the Labor national executive,said the Queensland branch would oppose the government’s attempt to install “unelected administrators to run the CFMEU over unproven media allegations”.
“[Prime Minister Anthony] Albanese’s autocratic attempt to disenfranchise union members has set a dangerous precedent for every union in this country,” he said.
CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith has not commented since last speaking to the media on Tuesday.