The powerful union merger Neil Mitchell warned of in 2015 has finally happened

The CFMEU will merge with the Maritime Union of Australia and the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union, with the Fair Work Commission officially approving the formation of a new union.

3AW Mornings first aired news of a merger in August 2015, with multiple callers from Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union telling Neil the CFMEU would join forces with the Maritime Union.

Caller ‘Joe’, first with the tip-off, said the merger would happen “in the next couple of weeks”.

“It’s very, very good mail,” he said.

“I said I was going to ring the radio station, and the person involved had no problem with that.”

Caller ‘Dave’ said he heard the same mail on Friday after a meeting between the unions on Thursday.

Both the CFMEU and MUA denied the report at the time.

Today the National Secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union Michael O’Connor welcomed the decision of the FWC to approve the formation of the new union by the amalgamation of the CFMEU, TCFUA and the MUA.

The Turnbull government previously attempted to block the merger, with legislation promised at the 2016 election to introduce a public interest test that would have prevented mergers of unions with a history of lawlessness.