Building construction
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Australia's union watchdog, the Fair Work Commission (FWC), has told a federal court that the
Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) members have breached workplace laws over 2,600 times, which has led to more than AU$24 million in penalties.

The FWC had filed a federal court case, seeking to appoint independent administrators to take charge of CFMEU, citing a history of breaches, threats, and intimidation within the union.

The commission further claimed that the construction divisions, which included national secretary Zach Smith and other union officials, had "ceased to function effectively," ABC reported.

The FWC also informed the court that since 2003, the CFMEU had breached federal workplace laws over 1,500 times, with an additional 1100 contraventions by its officeholders and members. Penalties in over 200 proceedings have amounted to at least $24 million for the union and $4 million for individuals, Fair Work general manager Murray Furlong said in a statement.

Court filings seen by The Sydney Morning Herald stated that the FWC was on a spree to cleanse the union or the allegedly corrupt officials, among which fall key members of the leadership team, including Smith, Jade Ingham, the president of construction, and assistant secretaries Jason Jennings and Andrew Sutherland.

NSW construction boss Darren Greenfield, Victorian branch assistant secretaries Derek Christopher and Elias Spernovasilis, and Victorian/Tasmanian division branch president Robert Graauwmans could also be facing an ouster. Twenty seats are already open, and several officeholders have more than one title.

Smith announced on the CFMEU's social media pages on Wednesday afternoon that he and the union will be meeting with the Fair Work Commission this week to seek guidance.

"This is a significant proposal with broad implications for our union and our members, and as such, we have sought further advice from the commission to inform our response," Smith said. "As always, your organisers will be out there doing their job, making sure you're represented in the workplace and you're safe at work."

The federal court case was filed after a media investigation reported last month that the CFMEU members were accused of coercion and links to criminal gangs.