Members of the CFMEU's manufacturing division have overwhelmingly voted in favour of separating their affairs from those of the broader union and creating the standalone Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union.
In a significant judgment on the level of proof required to establish an unlawful boycott, a High Court majority has upheld a finding that the CFMEU's construction and general division did not collude with major building company J Hutchinson to freeze out a non-union waterproofing subcontractor.
CFMEU administrators who are blocking a FWO attempt to investigate whether the union boycotted an AWU-aligned Indigenous building company must hand over documents after a judge accused them of a "hyper-critical dissection" of a contested notice to produce.
A union member acting as a maintenance contractor's health and safety representative has won interim reinstatement while the Federal Court weighs claims that the company sacked him for raising complaints about everything from silica dust exposure to welding fumes and fatigue management.
The UFU's Victorian branch is set to be referred to the AFP after a FWC full bench ran out of patience with the union over its refusal to explain how it came to charge a reputed members' income protection scheme $480,000 in "promotion/management costs".
The FWC has refused to refer legal questions on the construction of a Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act provision to the Federal Court before hearing the Victorian Ambulance Union's registration application.
The continuing power struggle between the RTBU's Victorian branch and the leadership of its locomotive division has again played out in court, division secretary Paris Jolly failing on appeal to prove that the union took adverse action against him because of an unsuccessful demerger attempt.
A full Federal Court has taken legislative changes into account in throwing out the UFU's bid to quash a FWC full bench finding no terms had been agreed between the union and Fire Rescue Victoria upon which to base an intractable bargaining workplace determination.
