http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/crime-court/gold-coast-union-thug-fined... Quote:A GOLD Coast union “thug” has been fined $9000 for taking his non-union workmates’ lunches from a fridge while swearing and abusing the men.
As well, the official’s union, the CFMEU, was slugged $48,000 by Federal Circuit Court Judge Salvatore Vasta over the incident, during the Pacific Fair redevelopment in March, 2014.
The judge labelled Scott Vink’s behaviour as “sheer thuggery”, saying his ugly behaviour was designed “to intimidate the employees and to reinforce to others at the building site the notion that non-union membership is not going to be tolerated”.
“Such thuggery has no place in the Australian workplace,” the judge said.
“Contraventions of the (Fair Work) Act that involve such thuggery cannot be tolerated,” he said.
Vink, however, later said he had done nothing wrong and workers on the site would have a laugh because they knew what really happened.
That judge wasn’t there and there’s always two sides to the story. It’s a political witch hunt and I’m not concerned about it at all,” he said.
The court was told Vink took workers’ belongings from the site shed, including lunches from the refrigerator, leaving them outside.
When approached by the site’s health and safety manager, Vink launched into an obscenity-laced tirade, claiming workers who were not CFMEU members were not allowed to use the site fridges.
Vink then padlocked the shed, locking the workers out.
A recording of the exchange obtained by the Federal Government’s Fair Work Building and Construction department included comments such as: “Get out of the shed you scab”, “You’re a bugger** piece of sh** mate, that’s what you are”, “What did I just say mate? Get this sh** out of the bugger**. Don’t make it any worse,” and “No, maybe you can put Neil’s stuff in the fridge, Neil’s a union member.”
The penalties are just shy of the maximum of $10,200 for an individual and $51,000 for an organisation, with Judge Vasta giving minor discounts because the parties admitted the contraventions.
Nigel Hadgkiss, of Fair Work Building and Construction, said while the agency was pleased with the result, it was disappointing such behaviour continued.
“Behaviour designed to intimidate, harass and bully workers into joining the CFMEU ought to be condemned by all building industry participants, including the union itself,” he said.
The Gold Coast Bulletin first revealed problems at Pacific Fair in March, 2014.
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