Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
Encyclopedia
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) is Australia's main trade union
in construction
, forestry
and furnishing products, mining
and energy
production.
The CFMEU has offices in all capital cities in Australia
and in many major regional centres with the national office of the union in Sydney. The union has an estimated 120,000 members and employs around 400 full time staff and officials.
The largest amalgamating union, the Building Workers Industrial Union (BWIU) was itself the result of numerous amalgamations over several decades between 1946 and 1992. The coverage of the BWIU included numerous craft unions representing building tradespeople including bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, tilers, stonemasons and various skilled non-trades construction workers. In the late 1980s the BWIU increased its coverage to include other construction workers such as steel fixers, concreters, construction labourers and trades assistants following the deregistration of the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF).
The division also has members working off-site in manufacturing workplaces such as shopfitting workshops, joinery shops and other establishments involved in the pre-fabrication of materials used in the construction process. Members also work in brick, tile and pottery manufacturing and in Queensland, the union covers furnishing trades as there is no formal Forestry Division in the State, due to the Australian Workers Unions historical coverage of this industry. The Queensland Branch does, however have a presence in Queensland's forestry sector with CFMEU members employed by the State Government working for the Department of Primary Industries.
With the absorption of the Federated Engine Drivers and Firemens Association of Australasia (FEDFA) which had coverage of crane drivers, plant operators, and other construction workers, the Construction and General Division has moved closer to fulfilling the policy objective of creating a single industry union for construction workers.
however during the 2010 Federal election substantial funds were discreetly handed over to the Greens which has outraged many financial members and led to resignations en masse.
The division also has coverage battles for membership of employees with the Australian Workers Union (AWU) over civil construction projects, as both unions' rules allow them to cover civil construction (e.g. roads, bridges, dams etc.). This has led to several demarcation disputes. Employers sometimes negotiate with both the AWU and CFMEU for the best deal.
Each State division operates with autonomy which results in differing services being offered to the members.
The NSW Branch of the CFMEU General and Construction Division has an estimated 11,000 members and the Victorian Branch around 15000.
In August 2010, the CFMEU donated $1.2 million to political activist group GetUp! to pay for TV airtime for a women's rights ad-spot condemning Tony Abbott
and the Liberal Party
.
The CFMEU Forestry and Furnishing Products Division was first registered as a Federal Organisation the 21 August 1907, as the Federated Sawmill, Timber-yard and Woodworkers Employees Association of Australasia.
The Union's name was changed in 1913 to the Amalgamated Timber Workers Union of Australia, and again in 1918 to the Australian Timber Workers Union.
In late 1990 a ballot was conducted by members of the Australian Timber Workers Union and the Pulp and Paper Workers Federation of Australia endorsing the amalgamation of both Unions to form the Australian Timber and Allied Industries Union.
Another ballot was conducted in mid 1991 on the amalgamation between the Australian Timber and Allied Industries Union and the Building Workers Industrial Union. This endorsement supported the first stage in the development of what is now the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union. The Forest and Furnishing Products Division represents 20,000 members nationally.
The Mining and Energy Division consists of a number of unions which have amalgamated. The largest union to contribute to the formation of the division was the Miners’ Federation which was previously the Australasian Coal and Shale Employees’ Federation (ACSEF) which had a continuous history dating back to 1915. Predecessors to the ACSEF had existed on and off since the 1850s.
Industries covered by the Mining and Energy Division include the coal industry, coal ports, the metalliferous mining industry, electric power generation, oil and gas and the small coke industry.
in the 2004 Federal Election over the Federal ALP's policy on logging in Tasmania
. Scenes of loggers openly cheering and congratulating John Howard
were seen as treachery by the other divisions.
In 2001 the Howard Government
initiated the Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry (commonly known as the Cole Royal Commission). The Commission and its findings were largely condemned by the ALP
and the Greens
which argued that the terms of reference were too narrow. The CFMEU asserted that the purpose of the Commission was a "witch-hunt" to reduce the power of the CFMEU rather than to investigate crime. http://www.cfmeu.asn.au/construction/press/vic/20030502_RCcontemptcase.html
The CFMEU General and Construction division rooted out some corruption within the union.http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2001/s296609.htm
Terence Cole found 392 cases of unlawful conduct. 98 of these were passed on to prosecution authorities by the Commonwealth attorney-general. Of these, just 26 were considered breaches of criminal law.
By early February 2006, 95 of the 98 cases had been resolved without legal action and the outcome of the remaining three has never been disclosed or explained.
One union organiser was also jailed for contempt of court.http://www.royalcombci.gov.au/
As a result of the Commission's findings the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) was established. It has a wide range of coercive powers, including forcing people to answer questions under oath. Penalties of up to $22,000 for individuals and $110,000 for corporations and unions apply for breaches of the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005.
Under WorkChoices
, situations where industrial action could take place were reduced, making industrial action about safety concerns difficult. The onus of proof was reversed. The CFMEU and workers had to prove a workplace was unsafe in order to put a stop to work on a site. Construction workers, unions and employers face fines four times higher than other sectors for actions deemed illegal.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
in construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
and furnishing products, mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
production.
The CFMEU has offices in all capital cities in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and in many major regional centres with the national office of the union in Sydney. The union has an estimated 120,000 members and employs around 400 full time staff and officials.
Divisions
The CFMEU is structured into three main divisions being the Construction and General Division, the Mining and Energy Division and the Forestry and Furnishing Products Division. Each division operates largely autonomously although there is some crossover of coverage.History
The Construction and General Division was formed in the early 1990s with the creation of the national CFMEU. This was part of the ACTU inspired union rationalisation process. The creation of a single building union had been a policy objective of various building unions for decades with records showing the Queensland Branch of the Operative Painters and Decorators Union (OPDU) carried resolutions calling for a single industry union to be created as early as the 1920s. The rationale behind this policy position was the logical view that members would be better represented by a larger industry based union rather than the traditional craft unions.The largest amalgamating union, the Building Workers Industrial Union (BWIU) was itself the result of numerous amalgamations over several decades between 1946 and 1992. The coverage of the BWIU included numerous craft unions representing building tradespeople including bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, tilers, stonemasons and various skilled non-trades construction workers. In the late 1980s the BWIU increased its coverage to include other construction workers such as steel fixers, concreters, construction labourers and trades assistants following the deregistration of the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF).
The division also has members working off-site in manufacturing workplaces such as shopfitting workshops, joinery shops and other establishments involved in the pre-fabrication of materials used in the construction process. Members also work in brick, tile and pottery manufacturing and in Queensland, the union covers furnishing trades as there is no formal Forestry Division in the State, due to the Australian Workers Unions historical coverage of this industry. The Queensland Branch does, however have a presence in Queensland's forestry sector with CFMEU members employed by the State Government working for the Department of Primary Industries.
With the absorption of the Federated Engine Drivers and Firemens Association of Australasia (FEDFA) which had coverage of crane drivers, plant operators, and other construction workers, the Construction and General Division has moved closer to fulfilling the policy objective of creating a single industry union for construction workers.
Political Activity
The Construction Division is often associated with the left faction of the Australian labour movementAustralian labour movement
The Australian labour movement has its origins in the early 19th century and includes both trade unions and political activity. At its broadest, the movement can be defined as encompassing the industrial wing, the unions in Australia, and the political wing, the Australian Labor Party and minor...
however during the 2010 Federal election substantial funds were discreetly handed over to the Greens which has outraged many financial members and led to resignations en masse.
The division also has coverage battles for membership of employees with the Australian Workers Union (AWU) over civil construction projects, as both unions' rules allow them to cover civil construction (e.g. roads, bridges, dams etc.). This has led to several demarcation disputes. Employers sometimes negotiate with both the AWU and CFMEU for the best deal.
Each State division operates with autonomy which results in differing services being offered to the members.
The NSW Branch of the CFMEU General and Construction Division has an estimated 11,000 members and the Victorian Branch around 15000.
In August 2010, the CFMEU donated $1.2 million to political activist group GetUp! to pay for TV airtime for a women's rights ad-spot condemning Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott
Anthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...
and the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
.
Forestry and Furnishing Products Division
The Union's name was changed in 1913 to the Amalgamated Timber Workers Union of Australia, and again in 1918 to the Australian Timber Workers Union.
In late 1990 a ballot was conducted by members of the Australian Timber Workers Union and the Pulp and Paper Workers Federation of Australia endorsing the amalgamation of both Unions to form the Australian Timber and Allied Industries Union.
Another ballot was conducted in mid 1991 on the amalgamation between the Australian Timber and Allied Industries Union and the Building Workers Industrial Union. This endorsement supported the first stage in the development of what is now the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union. The Forest and Furnishing Products Division represents 20,000 members nationally.
Mining and Energy Division
Industries covered by the Mining and Energy Division include the coal industry, coal ports, the metalliferous mining industry, electric power generation, oil and gas and the small coke industry.
- The Coal Industry: The coal industry is the majority of the Mining and Energy Divisions' coverage. Of more than 16,500 members around 13,000 work in the coal industry. The CFMEU is the primary union for the coal mining industry.
- Coal Ports: The union represents most workers (approximately 500) at export coal ports located along the east coast of Australia
- Metalliferous Mining: The Division covers most metalliferous miners in Broken Hill where silver, lead and zinc ores are mined. There are around 400 members at Broken Hill. Other mines are largely covered by the AWU. Through the amalgamation with the FEDFA, the division also has around 1,500 members at metalliferous mines in Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
- Oil, gas and electricity: The division has around 2,200 members employed in power stations, oil refineries and other parts of the oil and gas production chain. This division is the major union representing workers in the Victorian power generation industry.
- The Coke Industry: This industry as a stand-alone commercial industry is quite small in Australia. Most coke production is tied to iron and steel operations. There are stand-alone coke works on the South Coast of NSW (north of Wollongong) and in BowenBowen, QueenslandBowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Bowen had a population of 7,484.-Geography:Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street...
in Northern Queensland.
- The Mining and Energy Division covers the cokeworks on the south coast and the AWU covers the Bowen site. The CFMEU has approximately 50 members in the coke industry.
Internal Divisions
In recent years there has been some tension between the Forestry and Furnishing Products Division and the rest of the union particularly in regard to the Division's hostile attitiude to the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
in the 2004 Federal Election over the Federal ALP's policy on logging in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. Scenes of loggers openly cheering and congratulating John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
were seen as treachery by the other divisions.
Relationship with the Howard Government
Howard Government
The Howard Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the Australian House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government...
initiated the Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry (commonly known as the Cole Royal Commission). The Commission and its findings were largely condemned by the ALP
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
and the Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
which argued that the terms of reference were too narrow. The CFMEU asserted that the purpose of the Commission was a "witch-hunt" to reduce the power of the CFMEU rather than to investigate crime. http://www.cfmeu.asn.au/construction/press/vic/20030502_RCcontemptcase.html
The CFMEU General and Construction division rooted out some corruption within the union.http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2001/s296609.htm
Terence Cole found 392 cases of unlawful conduct. 98 of these were passed on to prosecution authorities by the Commonwealth attorney-general. Of these, just 26 were considered breaches of criminal law.
By early February 2006, 95 of the 98 cases had been resolved without legal action and the outcome of the remaining three has never been disclosed or explained.
One union organiser was also jailed for contempt of court.http://www.royalcombci.gov.au/
As a result of the Commission's findings the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) was established. It has a wide range of coercive powers, including forcing people to answer questions under oath. Penalties of up to $22,000 for individuals and $110,000 for corporations and unions apply for breaches of the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005.
Under WorkChoices
WorkChoices
The Workplace Relations Act 1996, as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, popularly known as Work Choices, was a Legislative Act of the Australian Parliament that came into effect in March 2006 which involved many controversial amendments to the Workplace Relations Act 1996, the...
, situations where industrial action could take place were reduced, making industrial action about safety concerns difficult. The onus of proof was reversed. The CFMEU and workers had to prove a workplace was unsafe in order to put a stop to work on a site. Construction workers, unions and employers face fines four times higher than other sectors for actions deemed illegal.