Bill Shorten’s MUA embrace after union merger vote

A unanimous vote by MUA delegates paves the way for a ‘superunion’ by amalgamating with the construction union.

National secretary of the textiles union Michele O'Neil, Paddy Crumlin of the MUA, centre, and CFMEU national secretary Michael O'Connor. Picture: Luke Richards

Bill Shorten will front the maritime union’s national conference this week to strengthen Labor’s ties to the industrial movement following a merger that will vastly bolster the coffers of the militant Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union.

Defying criticism that the opposition is too close to unionists, the Opposition Leader will address the Maritime Union of Australia’s conference dinner on the Gold Coast on Thursday after yesterday’s unanimous vote by MUA delegates paved the way for a “superunion” arising from an amalgamation with the CFMEU.

The MUA conference overwhelmingly backed the proposal to “strengthen the national and international trade union movement … including by building stronger and more effective trade unions particularly with the CFMEU”.

The Turnbull government lashed Mr Shorten’s plans to ­appear at the MUA dinner.

“Bill Shorten has form when it comes to addressing militant ­unions,” Employment Minister Michaelia Cash told The Australian. “His willingness to remain so close to unions who have a well-known disregard for abiding by legal decisions should alarm ­Australians.”

Senator Cash described the CFMEU and MUA merger as ­“extremely concerning”.

“The potential merger of further unions to cover the majority of transport logistics across Australia should concern all Australians ... This represents a major threat to productivity, jobs growth and economic prosperity.

“Since Mr Shorten became ­Opposition Leader we have seen the increasing influence of radical unions over Labor policy. One can only imagine how this control would be exacerbated by these proposed mergers.”

The terms of the merger, ­obtained by The Australian, mean the MUA’s valuable assets could be deployed to fight CFMEU legal bills and for political lobbying.

Delegates backed the plan for the MUA to become “a new and separate division of the merged union” and to keep its name, which will be put to a plebiscite of the union’s 14,000-strong membership in the coming months.

MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin told The Australian yesterday he hoped Mr Shorten would “show political leadership”.

Mr Crumlin, who shared the conference floor with CFMEU ­national secretary ­Michael O’Connor, said he would pledge resources to fight the construction union’s legal bills for a “just and equitable outcome” and “to combine assets on indivi­dual projects ... If we are amalgamated we can get right to the centre quicker for more effective political lobbying.”

The MUA’s “principles of amalgamation” condemned the “industrial offensive against Australian workers from neo-­conservative commercial forces” and attacked the Heydon royal commission into trade union governance and corruption.

“The constant attempts to further erode worker protections and rights through new legislation and the revisiting of old legislation, like the ABCC (Australian Building and Construction Commission), is central to this offensive,” the document said.