Maritime union, CFMEU to merge, plan Dyson Heydon attack

The maritime union has voted to join the militant CFMEU, and the royal commissioner is in their sights.

Union members vote at the meeting. Picture: Luke Richards

The maritime union’s national conference has voted unanimously to merge with the militant construction union, endorsing a proposal “strongly condemning the ... industrial offensive against Australian workers from neo-conservative commercial forces”.

Delegates to the Maritime Union of Australia’s national conference on the Gold Coast this afternoon backed the plan to amalgamate with the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.

The plans were revealed by The Australian in October.

The terms of the merger — including the MUA becoming “a new and separate division of the merged union”, and retaining the MUA name — will be put to a plebiscite of the union’s 14,000-strong membership in the coming months.

Union members vote at the meeting. Picture: Luke Richards

Today’s vote, which was brought forward in the conference schedule after the union’s national council drew up the proposal on Saturday, essentially clears the way for the merger.

“This was the pivotal vote,” an MUA source told The Australian from the Gold Coast.

The “Principles For Amalgamation” document obtained by The Australian enshrine attacks on the Heydon royal commission into trade union governance and corruption and states that “industry policy ... is destroying manufacturing and related service industries”.

“The constant attempts to further erode worker protections and rights through new legislation and the revisiting of old legislation, like the ABCC, is central to this offensive,” the document adds.

“It is clear that the trade union movement needs to continue to restructure itself into effective organising and campaigning networks through mergers, affiliations, joint activities and resources and other clear manifestations of unity and solidarity.

“We are determined to strengthen the national and international trade union movement to fight back for our rights, including by building stronger and more effective trade unions”.

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

The proposal also references the MUA’s coastal shipping campaign and the government’s proposed changes to cabotage rules.

The principles will go to the CFMEU executive on Thursday, where they are expected to be endorsed.

On the complicated question of the MUA’s extensive assets including valuable real estate, the document merely explains that “the new division will “retain the MUA’s current rules and assets, including democratic processes, elections and structures other than the requirement for the MUA to find unification with the CFMEU on the national structure of the new union.”

The merger proposal also pledges to be more “cost efficient” in four areas including “political campaigning” and industrial organising.

“The process and structure of the merged union must ensure that benefits flow to maritime workers in a way that builds on the existing needs and policies of the MUA membership,” it states.

MUA amalgamation