Rather than politicised building codes, the best way to clean up the law-breaking construction is to empower legitimate officials who understand that a union’s special legal status comes with moral responsibility.
In case you hadn’t heard, a division of one of Australia’s largest and most powerful unions which represents workers in the construction industry has recently found itself in quite a bitDue to the representative democratic nature of a union organisation, it is the leaderships moral authority that carries the agenda.A union’s real business is to give collective voice and effect to the issues of the workers it represents and establish a power balance in the workplace.
As a former blue-collar union official, I’ve learnt a bit about union power dynamics, and true executive authority, as understood in business, can be elusive in a union.Due to the representative democratic nature of a union organisation, it is the leaderships moral authority that carries the agenda. Since the turn of the millennium, there have been two royal commissions which have examined issues in the building industry, both ending with largely the same conclusion. Lawless and inappropriate conduct was rife, and unions are part of the problem, they said.
The code placed greater pressure on contractors by opening another regulatory risk front. It was policy developed not in view of the way the world is, but in service of ideology seeking to deal with it in the way some would like it to be.Despite reduced membership from peak times, unions continue as important and influential institutions within Australia and our political landscape. Outcomes will improve when policymakers and industry participants accept that.
And poor regulation which blurs lines between what is legitimate activity and illegitimate activity confuses participants and increases costs. It also casts a shadow in which bad behaviour can flourish.
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