Turnbull Government moves to block ‘super union’

The Turnbull Government is set to block the creation of a CFMEU-MUA “super union” through legislation that would force the Fair Work Commission to apply a public-interest test for any mergers.

Mining, oil and gas chief executives met senior cabinet ministers in Canberra on Wednesday night, The Australian reports, urging action from the government to block the merger.

The bill to amend the Fair Work (Registered Organisations Act) is understood to be introduced next Wednesday.

The government wants to put in place a new test for mergers of unions requiring the Fair Work Commission to consider the unions’ record of lawlessness and whether the amalgamation serves the public interest.

The CFMEU has described the public-interest test as “ridiculous”, The Australian reports.

If the law passes the Senate, it would block the CFMEU-MUA merger that would create a super union across the construction and mining sectors, as well as on the waterfront.

To pass the Senate, the Turnbull Government will need to win the support of crossbenchers.

The Fair Work Commission is still considering the merger with a decision likely this year.