FWC GM Murray Furlong has applied to the Federal Court today to have four CFMEU construction and general division branches put into administration, while he has left the door open for two more to go the same way.
The CFMEU construction and general division's national office has appointed high-profile silk Geoffrey Watson to investigate allegations of criminal wrongdoing in some branches.
New Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt has confirmed that he will introduce legislation if needed to ensure the FWC can take over the administration of CFMEU construction division branches accused of corruption, while dampening any expectation of further IR reform before the next election.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has appointed former Justice Department secretary Greg Wilson to examine the State's construction sector and help eradicate its "rotten culture", including by boosting its ability to weed out criminal activity and protect whistleblowers.
An internal power struggle is underway at the small but industrially significant aviation union, the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers' Association, with Federal Court documents revealing efforts to curtail the federal secretary's role.
The AWU has abandoned a long history of going it alone in Queensland, re-affiliating with the State's peak union body, while the Mining and Energy Union has also returned to the fold after a shorter absence.
Long-serving RTBU NSW branch leader Alex Claassens is set to become national secretary following the resignation of Mark Diamond, whom the organisation credits with "transforming" it and resisting Coalition attempts to thwart the union movement.
The Albanese Government will introduce laws to allow the CFMEU's manufacturing division to demerge if members vote for it, with the ACTU claiming "Mr Setka's personal grudges" have led to an exit push that "cannot be resolved any other way".
The ACTU's senior leadership team has today been re-elected unopposed, while unions have agreed to a 3% annual increase in their affiliation fees over the next three years.
