MORE than a quarter of a century after the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) was formed as a "super-union" merger in 1995, the mining division has won the right to be known officially as the Mining and Energy Union.
The name change was approved administratively earlier this month by the Fair Work Commission, and is part of a concerted effort by the mining and energy division to leave the amalgamated union, known since 2018 as the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union after the Maritime Union of Australia joined the combined body.
In a statement to members, the Mining and Energy Union said: "While we remain a division of the CFMMEU for the time being, our desire to stand separately has not diminished.
"A nationwide vote on changing our name was endorsed by members via (their workplace) lodges by almost 200 to one.
"There is no change in how we the union will be run as we continue along the legal pathway to a formal demerger from the CFMMEU."
Differences between the mining and construction divisions peaked over controversial construction branch figure John Setka. Laws allowing union demergers were introduced by Christian Porter as Coalition minister for industrial relations and approved in December 2020.
In March the union applied to the fair work commission to run a demerger ballot of members.
The new laws allowed mergers less than five years old to be unwound.
The mineworkers had argued the timing should start when the maritime union (and a textile union) joined in 2018, but the commission rejected this, saying the merged body began in 1995. It disallowed the ballot application.
A week later, on September 21, the union appealed that decision to the Federal Court of Australia, which has listed the matter as Grahame Patrick Kelly v the CFMMEU, to be heard in February with an estimate of a single day for the hearing. The ACTU and the commission are second and third respondents.
FULL DEMERGER DOCUMENTS HERE AT THE FAIR WORK COMMISSION
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