Standing nearly two metres and weighing more than 150 kilograms, Amin Fakhri makes an impression wherever he goes.

For years, Mr Fakhri's presence has been felt in Sydney's outlaw motorcycle gangs. The hulking Comanchero has been a regular police target and faced court in 2006 over his possession of an illegal firearm.

But, in 2011, the shaven-headed and bearded bikie had an unexpected career change: He became the new manager of a labour hire company that supplies workers on city building sites.
Amin Fakhri, a visible presence in Sydney's outlaw motorcycle gangs for years.
A plumber, according to reports of his court case, Mr Fakhri was appointed manager of United, also known as Active Labour Hire, by its owner, Sydney businessman and former bankrupt George Alex.An associate of both men said Mr Alex knew what he was doing when he put Mr Fakhri in the top job. ''Amin is a bikie, not a labour hire specialist,'' said the associate. ''But that is the point.''Mr Alex had been successful in Sydney by cultivating ties with influential NSW Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union officials who in turn gave his company an enterprise bargaining agreement, which meant his workforce could be placed on any building site in the city.

Mr Alex, who declined to be interviewed, wanted the same deal for United in Melbourne and sent Mr Fakhri south. One of United's first moves was to bring in local underworld boss Mick Gatto to help negotiate with the union's Victorian branch.It is believed Mr Gatto was paid tens of thousands of dollars to act as a consultant for United. Soon enough, United had an enterprise-bargaining agreement in Victoria, despite the union's distaste for labour hire firms due to the belief they lead to the loss of full-time jobs for members.
Now Mr Alex's company was ready to compete with other labour hire companies for Victorian jobs, including those that had already provided payments and gifts to union figures to get their own enterprise bargaining agreements.

A Victorian union shop steward with ties to Melbourne's underworld was encouraged to send work United's way.

The union's NSW and Victorian support for United has puzzled owners of other labour hire companies who have been unsuccessful in securing a union enterprise agreement, particularly as Mr Alex's companies had a record of going bust and owing workers money.

Mr Alex is, according to one former associate, ''a financial ghost''. Tax authorities have been chasing him for years in regards to his labour hire and construction empire in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

Despite this, Mr Alex has remained on reasonable terms with some within the NSW union. Its state secretary Brian Parker last year told Fairfax Media Mr Alex had always acted ''in a professional manner'' and paid his workers fully and on time.

''George comes across as extremely professional. George is a person who gets involved in all sorts of things. I found him relatively decent to deal with. He sticks to his word,'' Mr Parker said.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Parker said he had no social relationship with Mr Alex and had played no role in promoting his company on Sydney's Barangaroo building project.

Is it too much to ask the less–bright righties to see if a similar thread has already been started?

viewpoint wrote on Jan 28^th, 2014 at 12:41pm:


I did read it ... why don't you tell me what they did wrong?

This title should have labor in it. Unions and labor are forever entwined