ETU, UFU union leaders lash CFMEU administrator Mark Irving’s $600k-a-year salary

The eye-watering salary of the man tasked with reforming the embattled CFMEU can now be revealed, and it’s not costing taxpayers a cent.

CFMEU members will foot more than $1.9m across three years in order to pay the salary of the government-appointed administrator tasked with reforming the union, with enraged union bosses lashing the takeover as an attack on workers and members.

Government-appointed administrator and senior barrister Mark Irving will be given a remuneration package of $643,640 a year.

Excluding 15.4 per cent superannuation payments, this means Mr Irving’s base pay would be about $559,000; however, this figure would also include any allowances and benefits allotted to him by the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) general manager Murray Furlong.

While the eye-watering salary was confirmed by a source with knowledge of the arrangements, the sum was first listed in FWC documents tended to the Federal Court that called for Mr Irving to be paid at the rate of a vice-president.

The appointment of an administrator to all branches of the construction and general division of the CFMEU has been opposed by members. Picture: NewsWire/ John Gass

Union leaders said Mr Irving’s salary had been forced on members without their knowledge or say.

“Unions belong to their members who pay dues, elect leaders and sign off on their remuneration. Union leaders answer to dues-paying members through their committee of management. In this case government has removed member-elected officials and the committees that oversee them and they’ve sent members the bill,” United Firefighters Union Victorian secretary Peter Marshall told NewsWire.

“It is manifestly unfair that members should pay wages to someone they didn’t choose, don’t oversee and can’t remove.”

Electrical Trade Union (ETU) NSW secretary Allen Hicks called the takeover the “biggest overreach of the government’s power in the country’s history”.

He added the cost of the administrator was likely higher, with separate executive officers appointed to state branches after 270 officials were removed from the CFMEU’s construction and general division following Mr Irving’s appointment on August 23.

While most of these were voluntary and unpaid positions, it also included 11 senior officials across all of its branches.

“If the CFMEU had been provided an opportunity to defend themselves as a respondent to the Fair Work application … then (member’s funds) wouldn’t have been spent on these additional persons,” he said.

“If the government was so adamant that this had to be done, then why are CFMEU members paying for something that’s been unilaterally imposed upon them, which we’ve been saying is undemocratic, un-Australian, and an absolute disgrace.”

United Firefighters Union Victorian secretary Peter Marshall said it was ‘manifestly unfair’ CFMEU members will have to pay the salary of the administrator who they didn’t elect. Picture: NewsWire/ Valeriu Campan

However a spokesman for Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt said while it was ultimately the FWC’s decision to set Mr Irving’s salary, it “certainly” wasn’t the responsibility of taxpayers to fund the administration costs.

“The remuneration of the administrator is set by the Fair Work Commission and is a matter for them,” he said.

“The role of the administrator is large, covering branches in every state and territory.”

Revelations over Mr Irving’s pay comes as the Labor government is poised for a face-off with CFMEU-allied unions, who say the allegations of criminal links, standover tactics and bullying should have been tested in court prior to the forced administration.

On Tuesday, ousted Queensland secretary Michael Ravbar and his former deputy Kane Lowth announced they would be challenging the government’s forced administration in the High Court as unconstitutional, with the pair hiring revered barrister Bret Walker.

Speaking to reporters shortly after the announcement, former CFMEU national president Jade Ingham said the union had been “ripped away” from members.

“The fight that’s in front of us now is to get justice for our members, to return their union to the democratically elected leadership of the CFMEU,” he said.

Former CFMEU national president Jade Ingham said the construction union had been ‘ripped away’ from members. Picture: NewsWire/ Tertius Pickard

While the ETU has already publicly voiced its support of the legal challenge, the union will now “assess the merits of the case” before it confirms whether they it be financially contributing to the ex-CFMEU officials’ legal fees.

In protest of the administration, the ETU has also vowed to withhold more than $1m in donations to the Labor Party ahead of the 2025 federal election and suspend its affiliation fee to union peak body, the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

“We will take on legal advice to make sure that’s in line with the objectives of our union, to make sure that we can actually spend that money to the benefit of our members,” Mr Hicks said.

“Once we had an opportunity to sit down and speak with the legal team, there’ll then be an opportunity for us to contribute funds moving forward.”

Originally published as ETU, UFU union leaders lash CFMEU administrator Mark Irving’s $600k-a-year salary