After months of inactivity, Mark Irving, the Labor-appointed administrator of the CFMEU, has announced the next phase of administration—a plan to implement an undisclosed “Strategic Review” between now and 2028.
The official statement heavily implicates Zach Smith, who was elected as national secretary but since administration has been appointed as Executive Officer of the Victorian branch; both positions are controlled by the administration.
The announcement declares, “The work needed to deliver on this plan within the union will be the responsibility of Zach Smith as National Secretary, and, while it lasts, Administration.”
The administrator’s decree came just one day before Commonwealth prosecutors reported that they expect to proceed with some charges against former NSW CFMEU officials Darren and Michael Greenfield allegedly for receiving bribes from an employer.
Although the charges relate to an alleged incidents between 2018 and 2021, well before administration began last year, they are the only charges that have been laid against any sacked CFMEU official. It is pathetic, but no doubt it will be used to try to justify administration. The administration has nothing to show for all the claims that the union was riddled with bikies.
Yet the administration is looking to step up the persecution, with the Fair Work Commission investigating whether NSW officials acted to undermine administration, a charge with a penalty of up to $187,800 fine and two years jail.
The High Court challenge to administration is still being used as an excuse to delay industrial action against administration. Except for Queensland where the LNP government has moved against the CFMEU by re-tendering government building contracts to secure non-union companies on government sites, there have been no rallies or strikes this year.
But Administration is already taking its toll with some state branches recording significant membership decline. Labor wants the administrator to turn the CFMEU into a tame-cat union.
The administration tries to pretend it is business as usual but it’s not. One Sydney Metro CFMEU member told Solidarity, “The administration is not doing its due diligence to protect members. Incidents are happening and being swept aside. The union does not have the same power or willingness to help us as it once did.”
In NSW, the MUA and ETU are calling a stopwork rally for 1 May. The Administration will not allow the CFMEU to officially attend, so the bigger the show of defiance by CFMEU members, the better.
By Ian Rintoul
