A woman was left shaken and in tears at an inquiry into a rogue union as she recalled being at the centre of a wild brawl which spilled from a worksite into traffic.
The long-running inquiry into the Queensland CFMEU heard first-hand evidence on Tuesday from multiple witnesses to the well-publicised brawl on May 1, 2024.
Sky Lewis was an electrical safety officer on the Cross River Rail project when the CFMEU picketed the site in the south Brisbane suburb of Dutton Park.
She was one of three women and a larger group of men trying to enter the site, with witnesses saying she was targeted by CFMEU rebels, who were wearing balaclavas or had their faces hidden by clothing.
After being shown video of the incident, Ms Lewis started crying and shaking on Tuesday.
She told Commissioner Stuart Wood she felt trapped and terrified after being grabbed and pulled back by a CFMEU member.
"I felt scared because there was workers trying to get in and trying to get us in and every time a worker came out to try and get us in, they got slammed in between the CFMEU," she said.
Plant operator Kayne MacDonald told Mr Wood he saw Ms Lewis, who was nervous, fall towards the back of the group as they tried to enter the site.
"I noticed the CFMEU members targeted her and just bee-lined straight to her," he said.
"I think it was to draw some of the guys out and really intimidate her."
When Ms Lewis was knocked over, the already tense situation exploded.
Labourer Soane Tuakalau said he felt protective towards Ms Lewis.
“She’s like a little sister to us, so seeing her in that predicament and being physically touched is what triggered us boys who work with her every day, because we know that’s not her type of environment to be around," he said.
Another worker, Fou Ah Lam, said he saw Ms Lewis knocked over by a large man in a black hoodie.
"Everything was happening pretty damn fast," he said.
"I saw Sky getting pushed by his big jelly stomach ... obviously it was quite aggressive, and she pretty much flew and hit the ground and started crying.
"And I was like, 'Oh, I’ve got something for you mate'.”
The melee spilled from the site entrance onto Noble Street, with workers who were not engaged in fighting frantically trying to stop traffic.
The Cross River Rail site had been plagued by industrial relations issues, which escalated after a scaffolding worker fell up to 15 metres and was seriously injured, prompting strike action against contractor CPB.
Strike action increased in 2024, culminating in the brawl.
The inquiry is expected to hear from up to 30 witnesses during October's block of hearings.
