Union skirmish now personal
The HSU scandal is just a symptom. The Labor party these days is just a tool for corrupt unionists to begin a new career.
This article could just as easily have been written about Australian Labor:
Whatever happened to the Labour Party? - Comment - Voices - The Independent
This article could just as easily have been written about Australian Labor:
Whatever happened to the Labour Party? - Comment - Voices - The Independent
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Originally Posted by sunfish
The HSU scandal is just a symptom. The Labor party these days is just a tool for corrupt unionists to begin a new career.
The Union movement does hate exceptionally well. Battles with management are one thing, generally they are fought out on relatively fair grounds. But woe betide anyone in the union movement who crosses someone else who later gains power. That is what started the whole HSU debacle in public when the unions and ALP have always been far better than the Liberals at the quick knife to turn over a leader (refer Howard-Peacock, Howard-Costello, post Howard leadership as three examples of where the Libs are fundamentally weaker than the ALP - along with campaigning capability).
There are certain ex senior officials of unions pouring stories in to the media. They got shafted out of their particular union(s) and now they are looking for payback. If there's ever a Royal Commission into the union movement nobody in their right mind would ever join a union in its current form again.
In this area SP gets credit. I can't say if he's squeaky clean or not, I simply have no knowledge of anything negative. But unlike certain other officials it was never a precondition of any meeting with him or the ALAEA that a woman/women had to be provided at a hotel room at a certain time prior to the meeting.
Anyone who believes the vast majority of unions are actually about representing their members' interests is kidding themselves. There are certainly some idealogues out there who are actually that way inclined, I'd say SP is probably one of those, but the majority are just out for themselves and their faction on the basis that the faction will look after its loyal soldiers. The HSU screwed it up because they were amateurs looking to feed a the trough like some of the big kids.
Romulus old boy, I read your contribution with a lot of interest, but can you actually give specifics or are you just full of sh@t? I am not saying that I dont agree with you, since I dont know now where the labor party is headed, certainly not in the direction that I think it should be, but, facts boy, facts.
When the fink family owned the southern cross hotel, bob hawk was given the run of the presidential suite every Friday evening to "hold court" with lashings of wine, women and talk. My wife to be shared a house with Two air hostesses who were "guests" occasionally. Needless to say, every reporter and labor pollie rocked up from time to time.
It was an open secret in Melbourne. I'm sure the venues have changed, but not the behaviour - on both sides of politics.
It was an open secret in Melbourne. I'm sure the venues have changed, but not the behaviour - on both sides of politics.
Last edited by Sunfish; 1st Oct 2012 at 10:16.
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Awwww poodums !
This is really too funny......
Come on girls, can't you just have a big angry union sausage sizzle in some carpark, fly your stupid eureka stockade union flags with all the beer gutted comrades, burn yourself a straw man which somehow represents qantas and kiss and hug instead? Poor babies!!
Whatever happened to "Touch one - Touch All" girls?
Come on girls, can't you just have a big angry union sausage sizzle in some carpark, fly your stupid eureka stockade union flags with all the beer gutted comrades, burn yourself a straw man which somehow represents qantas and kiss and hug instead? Poor babies!!
Whatever happened to "Touch one - Touch All" girls?
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Originally Posted by arnold e
Romulus old boy, I read your contribution with a lot of interest, but can you actually give specifics or are you just full of sh@t? I am not saying that I dont agree with you, since I dont know now where the labor party is headed, certainly not in the direction that I think it should be, but, facts boy, facts.
But given I don't fancy spending the next 5 years giving everything to lawyers in order to avoid giving it to certain politicians I think I'll hold my tongue unless and until there is an official investigation of some sort that provides the equivalent of the immunity held by those in Parliament.
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I think the term "faceless men" is too kind, too endearing. It should be "face sitting men" or "face taking men".
Political pus in the labor party pretending to be union advocates. Scum.
Political pus in the labor party pretending to be union advocates. Scum.
Last edited by my oleo is extended; 1st Oct 2012 at 22:21.
Pickering Dare!
I see the HSU debacle has taken another twist, wonder how long before the coppers are having a long hard look at the AWU etc.etc
Seems Pickering's not afraid to take on the AWU's former legal running mates, see here:
Seems Pickering's not afraid to take on the AWU's former legal running mates, see here:
Some fireworks from Larry Pickering!
NO WIN NO FEE:
Apart from having the sort of head you’d never get tired of kicking, AWU boss Paul Howes’ record of protecting workers’ interests is abysmal.
Police can’t act without a complaint and there are no complaints coming from Howes or the HSU East’s Williamson.
It is no secret as to why.
When someone like the HSU East’s Kathy Jackson files a complaint, Bill Shorten shuts her down by placing the union in administration. Anyway, Craig Thomson is nothing but a small fish among schools of sharks in an ongoing feeding frenzy.
Howes’ union crony and co-Rudd assassin, Bill Shorten, does nothing either. (Except to plead it's an isolated case.) In fact, he goes to extreme lengths to obfuscate the blatant theft.
Left wing law firms have become union savvy and unions have become Left wing law firm savvy. Paul Howes, makes no effort to recover those stolen members’ funds. I wonder why.
The Gillard Government is a creation of corrupt unions, is stacked with ex-unionists (more than 50 of them) and protected by corrupt union bosses. The people who could bring down this corrupt Government (Craig Thomson, Doug McClelland and Ian Cambridge) have either been dumped or promoted to the union controlled FWA.
Oakeshott and Windsor will not walk the plank for the sake of this nation.
As an official of the ARU I quickly learnt the modus operandi of major unions. It wasn’t pretty then... it’s grotesquely ugly now.
The silence is deafening from the Left wing law firm, Slater & Gordon, as accusations continue to fly from credible sources.
It seems strange that a law firm would not immediately sue or at least take out an injunction against its accusers.
Well, here you go boys, I’ll make it easy for you.
• You (Slater & Gordon) have been complicit in fraudulent activities involving AWU officials.
• You aided and abetted union officials in the theft of funds rightfully belonging to AWU members.
• You knew the accounts those stolen funds moved into and out of were fraudulent accounts set up by a certain Julia Eileen Gillard, your Partner.
How’s that? Enough for you yet? Okay, here’s some more:
• You aided and abetted a Bruce Morton Wilson in the dispersal of those stolen funds.
• You represented your client (the AWU) in clear conflict of interest.
• You provided a loan to Bruce Wilson when you knew the loan assisted in the fraud.
• You have done nothing to recover or assist to recover funds misappropriated by your clients, Bruce Wilson and Ralph Blewitt.
• You refuse to release documentation detailing the above.
Is that enough boys, or should I go on? Come on, it's not that hard, surely. Sue me! You’re a law firm aren’t you? You can even give yourself mates’ rates.
There are more than 250,000 people who will see this article via blogs, 10,000 viral emails, Facebook, “The Pickering Post” and its Facebook. God knows how many they will share it with!
I notice you have bumped up your TV advertisements to convince people of your newfound “ethics”. Are you feeling the pinch?
Waste of money I’d say. Oh, unless it’s not yours.
What is it you say, “No Win, No Fee”? Well, you won’t win this one, so you’re home free. You can’t really lose can you?
Oh, yes you bloody can... and you know it!
You are a disgrace and menace to the industrial law you espouse, the people you represent and to the legal profession in general.
Come clean or come get me, you thieving, degenerate shysters!
NO WIN NO FEE:
Apart from having the sort of head you’d never get tired of kicking, AWU boss Paul Howes’ record of protecting workers’ interests is abysmal.
Police can’t act without a complaint and there are no complaints coming from Howes or the HSU East’s Williamson.
It is no secret as to why.
When someone like the HSU East’s Kathy Jackson files a complaint, Bill Shorten shuts her down by placing the union in administration. Anyway, Craig Thomson is nothing but a small fish among schools of sharks in an ongoing feeding frenzy.
Howes’ union crony and co-Rudd assassin, Bill Shorten, does nothing either. (Except to plead it's an isolated case.) In fact, he goes to extreme lengths to obfuscate the blatant theft.
Left wing law firms have become union savvy and unions have become Left wing law firm savvy. Paul Howes, makes no effort to recover those stolen members’ funds. I wonder why.
The Gillard Government is a creation of corrupt unions, is stacked with ex-unionists (more than 50 of them) and protected by corrupt union bosses. The people who could bring down this corrupt Government (Craig Thomson, Doug McClelland and Ian Cambridge) have either been dumped or promoted to the union controlled FWA.
Oakeshott and Windsor will not walk the plank for the sake of this nation.
As an official of the ARU I quickly learnt the modus operandi of major unions. It wasn’t pretty then... it’s grotesquely ugly now.
The silence is deafening from the Left wing law firm, Slater & Gordon, as accusations continue to fly from credible sources.
It seems strange that a law firm would not immediately sue or at least take out an injunction against its accusers.
Well, here you go boys, I’ll make it easy for you.
• You (Slater & Gordon) have been complicit in fraudulent activities involving AWU officials.
• You aided and abetted union officials in the theft of funds rightfully belonging to AWU members.
• You knew the accounts those stolen funds moved into and out of were fraudulent accounts set up by a certain Julia Eileen Gillard, your Partner.
How’s that? Enough for you yet? Okay, here’s some more:
• You aided and abetted a Bruce Morton Wilson in the dispersal of those stolen funds.
• You represented your client (the AWU) in clear conflict of interest.
• You provided a loan to Bruce Wilson when you knew the loan assisted in the fraud.
• You have done nothing to recover or assist to recover funds misappropriated by your clients, Bruce Wilson and Ralph Blewitt.
• You refuse to release documentation detailing the above.
Is that enough boys, or should I go on? Come on, it's not that hard, surely. Sue me! You’re a law firm aren’t you? You can even give yourself mates’ rates.
There are more than 250,000 people who will see this article via blogs, 10,000 viral emails, Facebook, “The Pickering Post” and its Facebook. God knows how many they will share it with!
I notice you have bumped up your TV advertisements to convince people of your newfound “ethics”. Are you feeling the pinch?
Waste of money I’d say. Oh, unless it’s not yours.
What is it you say, “No Win, No Fee”? Well, you won’t win this one, so you’re home free. You can’t really lose can you?
Oh, yes you bloody can... and you know it!
You are a disgrace and menace to the industrial law you espouse, the people you represent and to the legal profession in general.
Come clean or come get me, you thieving, degenerate shysters!
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Now Craig Thompson is being taken to the Federal Court. And if you look at the press over the last week or so it has been filled with AWU 94 issues and CFMEU Oyster Bay anomalies.
I think we're going to get a lot more of these stories over the coming weeks and months....
I think we're going to get a lot more of these stories over the coming weeks and months....
Craig Thompson and FWA: The description "kicked to death by a duck" seems appropriate.
To put that another way, Five years from now, Thompson will be asked to repay $164.23, and will ask, and be granted, time to pay.
To put that another way, Five years from now, Thompson will be asked to repay $164.23, and will ask, and be granted, time to pay.
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From the Australian today
HIGH-PROFILE union leader Paul Howes has dropped defamation action against the head of the small engineers union, Steve Purvinas, with the duo conceding their public spat was undermining the need to unite against ‘‘vicious attacks’’ by employers.
The peace deal was brokered by the national secretary of the Transport Workers Union, Tony Sheldon, who acknowledged yesterday the legal fight was ‘‘not a good look for the broader (union) movement’’. Mr Howes, the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, launched defamation action in August, claiming he was humiliated and embarrassed by an email sent by Mr Purvinas, the federal secretary of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association, to members of the ACTU executive headed ‘‘Problems with the AWU’’.
Mr Howes alleged the email portrayed him as ‘‘two-faced’’ and 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 Sheldon, who thrashed out the deal with the two men recently in his union’s Sydney office, said that he had been concerned that the duo were spending resources on the legal battle rather than the bigger challenges posed by some employers. The legal action by Mr Howes, whose union has 140,000 members, risked putting financial pressure on Mr Purvinas and his 3200-member union.
‘‘They are a small union and don’t have much resources,’’ one official said. ‘‘It wouldn’t have been pretty.’’ Under a memorandum of agreement, Mr Howes and Mr Purvinas agreed to ‘‘withdraw, apologise for, and accept withdrawal of all uncomplimentary comments’’ previously made against each other. Comments on Twitter, Facebook and other internet forum would also be deleted. The agreement says the union movement faces some of its biggest challenges, with militant employers, spurred on by the ‘‘antiworker’’ Tony Abbott, perpetrating ‘‘brazen and vicious attacks’’ on workers.
While the men agreed unions must rally together to meet such challenges, ‘‘this is not to say that there will not be differences in approaches along the way’’. ‘‘Our diversity strengthens us,’’ they said. ‘‘But when our differences appear so distinct as to threaten our capacity to meet the challenges we face, we must sometimes together redouble our efforts to resolve them.’’
After signing the document, which was witnessed by Mr Sheldon, Mr Howes and Mr Purvinas said they went and talked ‘‘over a beer’’. Mr Howes said yesterday he had known Mr Purvinas ‘‘probably longer than anyone else in the union movement’’. ‘‘Despite our relationship having many ups and downs, I have always respected him,’’ he said. ‘‘I would much rather be united with my colleagues in campaigning against those who seek to undermine a fair go in this country than (fighting) each other.’’
Mr Purvinas said it ‘‘was good that both of us could shake hands’’ and resolve their differences ‘‘over a beer’’ rather than continue action through the courts.
The peace deal was brokered by the national secretary of the Transport Workers Union, Tony Sheldon, who acknowledged yesterday the legal fight was ‘‘not a good look for the broader (union) movement’’. Mr Howes, the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, launched defamation action in August, claiming he was humiliated and embarrassed by an email sent by Mr Purvinas, the federal secretary of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association, to members of the ACTU executive headed ‘‘Problems with the AWU’’.
Mr Howes alleged the email portrayed him as ‘‘two-faced’’ and 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 Sheldon, who thrashed out the deal with the two men recently in his union’s Sydney office, said that he had been concerned that the duo were spending resources on the legal battle rather than the bigger challenges posed by some employers. The legal action by Mr Howes, whose union has 140,000 members, risked putting financial pressure on Mr Purvinas and his 3200-member union.
‘‘They are a small union and don’t have much resources,’’ one official said. ‘‘It wouldn’t have been pretty.’’ Under a memorandum of agreement, Mr Howes and Mr Purvinas agreed to ‘‘withdraw, apologise for, and accept withdrawal of all uncomplimentary comments’’ previously made against each other. Comments on Twitter, Facebook and other internet forum would also be deleted. The agreement says the union movement faces some of its biggest challenges, with militant employers, spurred on by the ‘‘antiworker’’ Tony Abbott, perpetrating ‘‘brazen and vicious attacks’’ on workers.
While the men agreed unions must rally together to meet such challenges, ‘‘this is not to say that there will not be differences in approaches along the way’’. ‘‘Our diversity strengthens us,’’ they said. ‘‘But when our differences appear so distinct as to threaten our capacity to meet the challenges we face, we must sometimes together redouble our efforts to resolve them.’’
After signing the document, which was witnessed by Mr Sheldon, Mr Howes and Mr Purvinas said they went and talked ‘‘over a beer’’. Mr Howes said yesterday he had known Mr Purvinas ‘‘probably longer than anyone else in the union movement’’. ‘‘Despite our relationship having many ups and downs, I have always respected him,’’ he said. ‘‘I would much rather be united with my colleagues in campaigning against those who seek to undermine a fair go in this country than (fighting) each other.’’
Mr Purvinas said it ‘‘was good that both of us could shake hands’’ and resolve their differences ‘‘over a beer’’ rather than continue action through the courts.
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Unions are completely inept and outdated. The CFMEU musical chair competition was hilarious! Why would you pay fees for something that brings no reward? Unfortunately taxes are mandatory...
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Just imagine a world where there was no voice for workers at all. Employers could just pay what they wanted and work you as long as and however they liked. Some people in this world would like this.
The beneficiaries of such a system would be the bosses and in some cases, company owners. The people already earning millions each year. They want to destroy unions so they can implement such a system in part or full so they can earn more and you can earn less. This is greed and these people are driven by it.
A good union leader will always want to oppose this greed. For me a lot of it is the fight against selfish people. If you think we should have a society where greed and selfishness flourish, get rid of unions.
The beneficiaries of such a system would be the bosses and in some cases, company owners. The people already earning millions each year. They want to destroy unions so they can implement such a system in part or full so they can earn more and you can earn less. This is greed and these people are driven by it.
A good union leader will always want to oppose this greed. For me a lot of it is the fight against selfish people. If you think we should have a society where greed and selfishness flourish, get rid of unions.
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As John Elliot would say "140,000 members??.....Pigs Arse!!!"
Howes: Less powerful than he pretends?
As they say Steve, "keep your friends close...keep your enemies closer". The dark side of Politics takes no prisoners and when a bloke like Howes and the National Vice President of the ALP (Sheldon of the TWU) offer a peace pipe......be very very skeptical.
Howes: Less powerful than he pretends?
As they say Steve, "keep your friends close...keep your enemies closer". The dark side of Politics takes no prisoners and when a bloke like Howes and the National Vice President of the ALP (Sheldon of the TWU) offer a peace pipe......be very very skeptical.
Last edited by genxfrog; 19th Oct 2012 at 11:40.
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Steve,
The conciliatory conclusion to the matter is not only in the interests of you and Howe, it was also in the best interests of the members of both unions.
While I was sympathetic with your position at the time, I am pleased with the outcome that did not result in inflicting large imposts on ALAEA funds.
As to the value of belonging to a union, there can be no better way to ensure that employees get a fair wage than collective bargaining, carried out by experienced and knowledgeable union professionals..
The conciliatory conclusion to the matter is not only in the interests of you and Howe, it was also in the best interests of the members of both unions.
While I was sympathetic with your position at the time, I am pleased with the outcome that did not result in inflicting large imposts on ALAEA funds.
As to the value of belonging to a union, there can be no better way to ensure that employees get a fair wage than collective bargaining, carried out by experienced and knowledgeable union professionals..
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Arnold....
Who is better equipped? How about the workers themselves? The people who actually work the job everyday and know the issues and problems with their work place. Not some hack who lobs into the operation every few months (or years) to collect a couple of hundred bucks and tell the how evil all companies are. Unions live off creating an environment of fear and loathing. Outdated and inept organisations who promote such people as Craig Thompson.
Who is better equipped? How about the workers themselves? The people who actually work the job everyday and know the issues and problems with their work place. Not some hack who lobs into the operation every few months (or years) to collect a couple of hundred bucks and tell the how evil all companies are. Unions live off creating an environment of fear and loathing. Outdated and inept organisations who promote such people as Craig Thompson.