AWU boss Stacey Schinnerl back on the stand in Queensland

Australian Workers Union general secretary Stacey Schinnerl will take the stand at the CFMEU Commission of Inquiry today after revealing she feared for her life after receiving death threats from a rival union yesterday.

There has long been a feud between the two unions but Schinnerl told the inquiry he suspected CFMEU leaders perceived an opportunity to distract the AWU from major projects after electing the major union’s first female leader in Queensland.

“Maybe a woman [AWU] It would be easy for the leader to roll over. “Given enough pressure, I may give in and surrender to them,” he said.

Loading

Schinnerl also outlined several incidents of aggressive threats and intimidation against union colleagues. On one occasion, an AWU figure was told to convey a message to him: “If I raise my head, it will break”.

“I took it as a threat to my life,” Schinnerl said.

In his written witness statement, Schinnerl identified himself as the union official identified in CFMEU management inspector Geoffrey Watson’s report as experiencing aggressive behavior at the 2023 Labor Day event in Brisbane.

Schinnerl described encountering a man wearing a CFMEU shirt with “Australia’s Worst Union” written across his face.

The man attempted to mount a response, and Schinnerl’s efforts to persuade him to leave left the pair “hand to hand.” He then turned to one of his 13-year-old sons, who was standing next to him, and said: “How does it feel to know that your mother is a scumbag who sells out workers?”

During the interaction, the AWU leader said he pleaded with the man: “This is my child. Don’t do this here. Go.”