More than 50 Victorian gas plant workers are being taken to the Federal Court over claims they illegally walked off the job a year ago.
Fair Work Building and Construction alleges 45 employees working at a Longford gas conditioning plant took unlawful industrial action on February 12, 2015.
It's also alleged 50 employees did not show up for work the next day.
The Australian Workers' Union says the court action is "a dirty, low-down, power trip for the Building Industry Inspectorate and those who seek to demonise construction workers".
The workers were employed by CBI Constructors to build the gas conditioning plant which will process gas from the multi-billion Kipper Tuna Turrum Project.
Kipper Tuna Turrum is the largest Australian gas development on the eastern seaboard.
Fair Work claims the employees walked off the project after a meeting with an AWU official during a lunch break.
It is alleged the strike was in support of an employee dismissed a day earlier during his probationary period.
AWU Victorian secretary Ben Davis on Tuesday said the dispute was about the appointment of a union health and safety representative.
He said the workers were served with the court notices on a Saturday to cause "maximum distress" and the AWU would do everything to protect its members.
The matter is scheduled for a case management hearing on April 1.
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