Opinion: CFMEU’s Michael Ravbar sees his power and influence wane

Once one of Queensland’s most powerful union figures, Michael Ravbar is now seeing his power and influence fade, writes Des Houghton.

The power and influence of CFMEU strongman Michael Ravbar seems to be in steep decline, with membership of the thuggish union plunging over a quarter in just three years.

Embarrassingly for Ravbar, the membership slump to 14,433 comes at a time when the membership in Victoria and Tasmania climbed.

Membership figures are crucial because they translate to votes on the floor at ALP conferences.

But there may be a bigger problem for the union, which has been described in Parliament and the courts as a criminal organisation.

In the past eight years the number of enterprise bargaining agreements completed by the Queensland and Northern Territory branch seems to have slumped from about 600 to around 330, according to the Registered Organisation Commission.

The CFMEU’s Michael Ravbar in more triumphant times

CFMEU revenue is also down.

A downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic might account for some of the decline, and why it is pressuring subcontractors to sign agreements.

The bypassing of the CFMEU in favour of the AWU in the labour agreement for the Cross River Rail project was a bitter blow to Ravbar and his team.

So, too, was the selection of Lance McCallum of the ETU ahead of the CFMEU nominee to contest – and win – the safe Labor seat of Bundamba at the state election.

Ravbar’s influence declined again.

And there are more troubles on the horizon.

The proposed demerger of the building and mining divisions has already prompted a heated debate over the division of the union’s substantial property assets.

Des Houghton is a media consultant and former editor of The Courier-Mail, Sunday Mail and Sunday Sun