Hundreds of timber workers in the Snowy Valleys region are set to participate in a secret ballot on whether to leave the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and form a separate entity, the Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union (TFTU).
The ballot, overseen by the Australian Electoral Commission, will be held from 24 February to 14 April.
According to Alison Rudman, Secretary of the NSW District of the CFMEU’s Manufacturing Division, the move reflects growing dissatisfaction among timber workers with their current union affiliation.
“Our members have been clear—they want out of the CFMEU and are pleased to be voting ‘YES’ to becoming the TFTU,” Rudman said.
She pointed to concerns among timber workers in areas such as Tumut and Tumbarumba over the association with the CFMEU’s Construction Division, which has faced significant public scrutiny.
“Members in places like Tumut and Tumbarumba are tired of being associated with the CFMEU Construction Division that is always in the news for the wrong reasons,” noted Rudman.
“They are looking forward to the TFTU having a laser focus on the issues that impact all our members like wood supply, recognition of their skills and protecting timber jobs in timber towns” said Ms Rudman.
The right to hold a demerger vote was made possible through legislative changes initially championed by Senator Jacqui Lambie and later adopted by the Albanese Government.
The legislation, which allowed CFMEU divisions to seek separation, was supported by all MPs except those from the Greens, Rudman noted.
If successful, the Manufacturing Division would become the second group to leave the CFMEU following the departure of the Mining and Energy Division in 2023, which went on to form the Mining and Energy Union.
