Two weeks on, Grocon and union won't budge

4 Sep 2012, 6:22 pm   -   Source: AAP
The Federal Workplace Relations Minister says Victorians are sick of the Grocon dispute. (AAP)

The Federal Workplace Relations Minister says Victorians are sick of the Grocon dispute. (AAP)

Despite court action and a federal government rebuke, the dispute between building giant Grocon and the CMFEU has only gotten uglier after a fortnight.

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As the stand-off between Grocon and blockading unionists drags into its third week with no sign either side will yield, the federal industrial relations minister says Victorians have had enough.

About 500 union members, many from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), arrived early on Tuesday at Melbourne's Emporium site to resume their blockade, only to find hundreds of police - including riot, mounted and dog squad units - had beaten them to it.

Officers escorted more than 50 Grocon workers onto the site through a back entrance, much to the ire of the protesters.

About 25 of the demonstrators remained at the site after 7am, taunting those who'd slipped through the barricade with shouts of "show us your face, scab" and "die, scab, die".

Grocon CEO Daniel Grollo, who says productivity at the site remains well below normal, reaffirmed his refusal to negotiate with the union until it agrees to permanently end the blockade.

"The blockades must be stopped and the law must be complied with. Then we have a foundation from which to go forward and have discussions," Mr Grollo told reporters in Melbourne.

He said up to 65 Grocon employees - including CFMEU members - had signed an open letter decrying the blockade and pleading to be allowed back to work.

He wouldn't comment when asked how the company would seek to beat the blockade if it returned on Wednesday - which the union has assured it will.

CFMEU Victorian secretary Bill Oliver urged Mr Grollo to pick up the phone and talk with the union about its concerns over shop steward appointments and union regalia displays, instead of having workers escorted into the site.

"This is going to be a long argument. The sooner that Daniel Grollo will come to the table and sit and try to end it, it will end," he said.

Mr Grollo ruled out dropping legal action to recoup losses caused by the union's actions, which the company says has cost it $370,000 a day at the Emporium site since August 22.

"We've been at this for over 13 days now. We must get the recovery of those costs," he said.

Federal Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten said Victorians were fed up with the stand-off.

"People can put on as much war paint as they want, use all the confrontational tactics they want, but at the end of the day these arguments get fixed through sensible negotiations," he told reporters in Sydney.

"I think Victorians are over this dispute - in fact, I think they were over it as soon as it started."

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said the dispute was consuming considerable police resources.

Grocon and the Victorian attorney-general are continuing to seek contempt rulings against union officials over clashes with police at the blockade last Tuesday.

Michael McDonald SC, for Grocon, told the Victorian Supreme Court that the CFMEU should be held liable for the conduct on that day.

Grocon argues numerous court orders for the blockade to end had been wilfully and repeatedly ignored.

The hearing will resume on Wednesday.

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