By Jack de Flamingh and James McLean -
Snapshot
- In March 2018, a single member of the Fair Work Commission approved the amalgamation of the CFMEU, MUA, and TCFUA into a new ‘super union’ – the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, or CFMMEU.
- The CFMMEU is expected to wield significant political and industrial influence.
- Employer associations have vowed to fight the amalgamation to the High Court.
On 6 March 2018, in the decision of Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union; The Maritime Union of Australia and Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia [2018] FWC 1017, the Fair Work Commission (‘FWC’) approved the amalgamation of three of Australia’s most militant trade unions – the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (‘CFMEU’), the Maritime Union of Australia (‘MUA’), and the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (‘TCFUA’) – into the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (‘CFMMEU’).
The amalgamation took effect on 27 March 2018. The decision of the FWC approving the amalgamation is the subject of an appeal which was heard on 9 April 2018 but which, at the time of writing, had not yet been determined.
The newly formed CFMMEU has over 140,000 members, annual revenues of $150 million and covers key industries across the Australian economy, including the mining, construction and maritime industries.
