Union skirmish now personal
Here we go again. Some Union leaders just never learn and would rather spend members money on personal agendas than representing their members interests.
AUSTRALIA'S best-known unionist, Paul Howes, has launched legal action claiming he was humiliated, embarrassed and ''gravely injured in his feelings'' by the head of the tiny union that represents aircraft engineers, Steve Purvinas.
Mr Howes, the national secretary of the 140,000-member Australian Workers Union, last week filed a defamation lawsuit against Mr Purvinas, the federal secretary of the 3200-member Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association, over an angry email sent to union leaders.
Mr Purvinas sent the email, headed ''problems with the AWU'', to members of the ACTU executive, of which both men are members, on June 4.
The email was the latest salvo in a war of words between the two men stemming from a long-running stoush over which of their unions is entitled to represent aircraft engineers at Qantas.
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It followed an episode in May in which Mr Howes accused Mr Purvinas of waging a ''one-man jihad'' against Qantas.
In a writ filed in the Victorian Supreme Court last week, Mr Howes claims the email formed part of a campaign by Mr Purvinas to poach Qantas workers from the AWU.
Mr Howes alleges the email conveyed the imputation he ''conducted the affairs of the AWU in a disgusting manner'' and ''betrayed the interests of aircraft maintenance engineers'' and the union movement by using material from a confidential ACTU mediation between the unions in a court case.
He alleges readers of the email would have understood it to mean he was ''two-faced'', ''colluding with Qantas management to strike a dirty deal that would reduce wages and safety levels in the aviation industry'' and was preoccupied with ''swanning around with politicians and leaders of industry in the Qantas Chairman's Lounge as he prepares to clear for himself a safe Labor seat in the Federal Parliament''.
Mr Howes, but not Mr Purvinas, is a member of the Chairman's Lounge.
The AWU leader is seeking damages for being ''gravely injured in his feelings, credit and reputation'', ''humiliated, embarrassed and held up to hatred, ridicule and contempt'' and ''injured in his profession''.
Mr Howes declined to comment when contacted by The Saturday Age.
However, Mr Purvinas, who has yet to file a defence, said: ''I'm not surprised that Paul Howes would concentrate his attacks on other unions rather than take on companies that harm our members.''
''Paul has got to learn to cop a bit of criticism at times, he's quite forward in making criticism of others.''
A first directions hearing is set for September 28.