THE case against a construction union organiser accused of trespassing when he visited union members at a Tasmanian worksite has been thrown out of court.
Long-serving Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) organiser Bill White was charged with trespass when he refused to leave the Royal Hobart Hospital redevelopment site in July and police were called.
Mr White's arrest sparked union rallies and warnings the $586 million project could be delayed.
He pleaded not guilty and Magistrate Catherine Rheinberger found he had no case to answer because it was unclear who had legal authority over the communal area Mr White had visited.
A relieved Mr White said building company Fairbrother had been to blame.
"It's a waste of everyone's time," he told reporters.
"I don't see what the problem is, us talking to our members.
"We don't have this sort of problem with other employers."
The case highlighted rising tensions between the CFMEU and the Master Builders Association (MBA), which Unions Tasmania boss Kevin Harkins accused of masterminding the incident.
"I think there was a bit of a conspiracy," Mr Harkins said.
"Some of the evidence that was led would indicate that the MBA had set up a network or a structure within the construction industry to try and dob in union organisers when they were visiting sites."
Site managers asked Mr White to leave because he had not provided 24 hours notice of his intent to visit the site.
Fairbrother chief executive Craig Edmunds said the rules were in place and the company had complied with national standards.
"To be a construction code-compliant company, we have right-of-entry provisions that we need to follow," he told AAP.
"We'll continue to follow those."
CFMEU state secretary Bill Oliver welcomed the outcome.
"The CFMEU puts Fairbrother on notice," he said in a statement.
"We will defend our members and officials no matter what it takes.
"It was legitimate business which Bill White was conducting, and there was no cause to forcibly remove him.
"The CFMEU is fighting to improve the wages and conditions of Tasmanian workers, which lag behind those on the mainland."
The MBA did not immediately return AAP's call.
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