Labor’s national executive is deciding whether it will continue taking donations from the embattled CFMEU’s construction division after state branches and the peak union body suspended links.

The union’s construction division has been under fire over a series of reports alleging corrupt conduct and organised crime links.

The national executive is set to meet on Thursday and would be “dealing with this in a fairly firm fashion”, Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese foreshadowed the national executive meeting, noting in a press conference on Wednesday that part of the response “will be a suspension from engagement in the Labor Party, and that will occur through the national executive, which will be convened over the coming days.”

Burke has moved to install an independent administrator to overhaul the construction arm of the union. He warned he would introduce legislation into parliament if the CFMEU challenged the proceedings.

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The administrator would be appointed after a court application by the Fair Work Commission.

Peak union body the Australian Council of Trade Unions has suspended the construction and general division of the CFMEU while various state Labor governments have also moved to ice their affiliations and halt donations.

The vote of about 50 ACTU executives was almost unanimous, secretary Sally McManus said.

“We would ask the union, the whole of the union, including the Queensland branch, to co-operate with external independent administrators, this is the best path forward,” she said.

Her comments came after Queensland and NT branch secretary Michael Ravbar said the prime minister had “panicked and soiled himself over some unproven allegations in the media”.

McManus warned the union not to fight the Fair Work Commission’s push to appoint an administrator, saying it was the best way to ensure confidence in the labour movement.

AAP with Josefine Ganko