The CFMEU has thrown its unwavering support behind two of its top Victorian officials as they prepare to fight blackmail charges.
Thousands of chanting construction workers and union members flooded the Melbourne courts precinct on Tuesday before the hearing for state secretary John Setka and his deputy Shaun Reardon.
The pair has been charged with blackmailing two executives from concrete supplier Boral, in an alleged bid to cause loss to construction giant Grocon.
They will not be stood down from their union roles.
Setka and Reardon wore black CFMEU shirts and sat side-by-side in the Melbourne Magistrates Court as their criminal case was adjourned to March next year.
They are accused of blackmailing Boral executives Paul Dalton and Peter Head on April 23, 2013, court documents reveal.
Barrister Ken Oldis said the charges, one count for each man, would be "strenuously defended".
Boral has previously alleged it was targeted by the CFMEU because it continued to supply concrete to Grocon, with which the union had an ongoing battle.
Setka and Reardon emerged from court to an eruption of cheers from unionists who had remained outside after the earlier rally, in which workers dressed in fluorescent gear waved flags and chanted "stand up, fight back".
Many yelled "disgrace" as Setka, who addressed the crowd moments before walking inside for the hearing, described being arrested in front of family members on Sunday.
"They're trying to turn us into Nazi Germany," Setka yelled to the crowd.
"That's what they're trying to do, this coalition government."
He and Reardon were arrested after an investigation by a joint Victorian and federal police unit that follows up cases referred to them by the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption.
The arrests were a media stunt and the charges political, CFMEU national construction secretary Dave Noonan said.
Industrial relations were not criminal matters, and Setka and Reardon would not be found guilty, he told reporters.
"They have been involved in an industrial dispute," Mr Noonan said.
"That's what happens in unions."
The CFMEU won't stand down Setka and Reardon as the case progresses.
Premier Daniel Andrews is under pressure to distance his government from Setka and the union.
"He's got to expel these people from the Labor Party," opposition leader Matthew Guy told reporters outside parliament on Tuesday.
Workers who rallied were warned by Fair Work Building and Construction not to show up while on the clock, or without permission from their employer.
Employers and unions can also be handed hefty fines for issuing or demanding strike pay.
