Edmond Margjini allegedly involved in dispute at Perth site amid Fair Work Ombudsman’s case against CFMEU

Former cage fighter-turned Sword Boy gangster Edmond “Monty” Margjini is again under siege after it was claimed he was involved in a site dispute that triggered the construction watchdog’s first-ever court case against the CFMEU. The Fair Work Ombudsman is taking legal action against the construction union and official Stephen Parker over alleged incidents at a Multiplex construction in November. It is the first time the FWO has taken the CFMEU to court since the ombudsman replaced the Australian Building and Construction Commission as the industry watchdog in 2022. The FWO’s media release and associated news coverage concentrated on Mr Parker’s alleged role in the disruption, including his decision to climb a 50m crane during a site visit at the 19-storey office tower Nine The Esplanade. The statement of claim that underpins the court case alleges Mr Margjini was with Mr Parker when the CFMEU conducted a site inspection because of safety concerns regarding a crane. Mr Margjini’s underworld past threw him into the spotlight this year when the CFMEU was put into administration because it had been infiltrated by bikies and gangsters. The union has been under pressure to sack the 46-year-old because of his history and current charges over an alleged violent home invasion 10 years ago. “At about 12.05pm on 27 November, 2023 Parker, accompanied by Edmond Margjini (Margjini), arrived at the site gate,” the claim states. The FWO says Mr Margjini and Mr Parker told Multiplex’s managers they “intended to enter the site under section 49I of the IR Act . . . (and) they had safety concerns in relation to the slewing operation of the crane.” Mr Margjini is said to have watched Mr Parker defy warnings from Multiplex bosses and climb the crane to speak to the operator for an hour. The pair left the site but allegedly returned the next day with a third union official, Peter Joshua. The FWO claims Mr Parker, Mr Margjini and Mr Joshua had a problem with the same crane’s generator, demanding to be shown the pre-start sequence. “Parker was standing in front of the control panel of the generator, obstructing access to it,” the ombudsman claims. The union trio left the site about 3.30pm, four hours after entering. Mr Parker was subsequently accused by the FWO of acting illegally while on site. “The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges that Mr Parker’s conduct breached section 500 of the Fair Work Act, which prohibits acting in an improper manner and/or intentionally hindering or obstructing persons at a work site, and section 499 of the Act, which requires right-of-entry permit holders to comply with occupational health and safety requirements on work sites,” the FWO statement said. An FWO spokesperson confirmed the action against the union was “the first court case the Fair Work Ombudsman has commenced against the CFMEU since the FWO resumed its role in late 2022 enforcing the Fair Work Act in the commercial building and construction industry”. “The Fair Work Ombudsman has 42 investigations ongoing into alleged conduct potentially contravening the Fair Work Act in the commercial building and construction industry, involving most branches of the Construction and General Division of the CFMEU, its officials, and/or employers,” the spokesperson said. “Thirty-three of these investigations were commenced following the then Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations’ request to the FWO on 17 July 2024. “A significant proportion of the information received by the FWO has involved alleged coercive behaviour by the CFMEU and its officials. “As our investigations are ongoing it will not be appropriate to comment further on them at this time. Matters of alleged criminal conduct fall outside the FWO’s jurisdiction.” A CFMEU spokesperson said the union “will not provide ongoing commentary while the FWO investigation continues, however our organisers prioritise safety at all times, and it should be noted that this matter is being brought in the day following yet another tragic death of a construction worker”.