National bosses alongside Setka and snobby ACTU

After two days of crisis talks in Canberra, the leadership of the union's construction division said last night that Setka had neither criticized nor denigrated domestic violence activist Rosie Batty and condemned the false leaks "of the union's national executive.

In a joint statement, National Secretary of National Construction, Dave Noonan, and division president, Jade Ingham, said the division 's executive "baderts that the union' s democratic rules provide for the union". election of the members who elect the officials and the accountability of them ".

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"John Setka and all the other leaders of our union have been elected and supported by the democratic structures of our union," they said. "John has the full support of the construction and general division."

They said the union would not comment on Setka's intention to plead guilty to harbadment at a hearing next Wednesday. "The union reaffirms its total opposition to all forms of family violence. Safety, fairness and dignity are just as important at work as at home. "

The alleged remarks about Ms. Batty were quoted by Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese last week when he called for the expulsion of Mr. Setka from ALP. "Rosie Batty is a great activist against domestic violence and the idea that she should be denigrated by someone like John Setka is totally unacceptable to me as the leader of the Australian Labor Party, and I do not do not want in our party, "he said. I said.

But Noonan and Ingham said "at no time" at the meeting of the National Executive "John Setka has neither criticized nor denigrated Rosie Batty, nor even any campaign against domestic violence. We strongly support his campaign. "

"John's sincere account of his personal life in recent months has been welcomed into the room by most people in the same authentic spirit in which it has been delivered," they said.

"Leaks and other acts of treason provide ammunition only to conservative forces seeking to destroy trade unionism in Australia and the standard of living of the workers in that country."

The Electricity Workers' Union yesterday threatened to check with federal and Victorian Labor MPs for allegations of domestic violence in retaliation for the measures taken against M Setka.

Victorian secretary of ETU, Troy Gray, a close ally of Setka, said the union would conduct the verification "to make sure they are clean" if they were going to be "umpire" of the conduct of Mr. Setka.

"If people want to do politics with a union official, we'll be looking at whether people have skeletons in their closets," Gray said. L & # 39; Australian. "If people demand a certain standard where people should resign, then let's make sure that all these Labor MPs also respect this standard."

Mr Albanese said earlier yesterday that he would not react to threats from the Victorian branch of the CFMEU and ETU to reduce donations to the ALP.

"I do not apologize for making the Labor Party and its interests come before anybody else's," he told Sydney radio. "There is no doubt that every time I saw Mr. Setka advertise, it was not positive and it did not reflect well on the Labor Party, or even on the trade union movement. "

CUTA President Michele O'Neil reiterated the call of the highest union to ask Mr. Setka to resign: "We think it is fair for the labor movement to ask John to take into account his position and stay away. "

Workplace Editor

Melbourne

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