Howes v Purvinas
Looks like the fight is heating up. From today's Fin Review, p40
"The defamation case brought by the not-very-faceless boss of the AWU, Paul Howes, against the aircraft engineers' union boss, Steve Purvinas, hit the Victorian Supreme Court yesterday, with Justice Beach taking all of 90 seconds to proceed with the case after the AWU's lawyers provided a 48 page diary of the wondrous ways they've attempted to serve Purvinas for three months (based on his instructions by phone) - at airport lounges, in his front porch, at his office etc. Justice Beach decided to give Purvinas the minimum 30 days to prepare his defence.
According to the statement of claim, it comes down to an email Purvinas sent to his members, in which he accused the AWU of being "nothing more than a group of company advocates in union shirts that Tony Abbot [sic] would be ashamed of ... The AWU are delivering to Qantas an on-tap group of strike breakers."
Purvinas' hatred of the AWU may explain his attendance at a recent event held by the neo-con Australian Taxpayers Alliance addressed by former 2UE shock jock Mike Smith, who was there to speak about Julia Gillard's days as a solicitor at Slater & Gordon and her involvement with former AWU official Bruce Wilson. and who acknowledged Purvinas in the front row."
Given the other union news of the day perhaps it would have been cheaper for the ALAEA to buy a "luxury mansion" and rent it out to favoured personages than this mess will probably end up costing.
Absolutely ridiculous, employers will be laughing all the way to the Chairman's Lounge, various lawyers will engage in a feeding frenzy and members funds will perhaps be spent on less than optimal tasks.