By Barry Healy

SYDNEY -- As the voting for the position of assistant national secretary of the Public Sector Union moves into its final phase, a dirty tricks campaign initiated by supporters of Wendy Caird has surfaced. Caird is the endorsed candidate of the existing leadership.

A “Letter to Delegates” circulated to delegates in the Tax Office Branch signed by Shane O'Connell, the top official of the TOB, slanders and red-baits Phil Sandford, the rank and file candidate opposing Caird. It also reveals nervousness among Caird's supporters about her chances of winning.

The leaflet paints Sandford as “having been an activist in a number of ultra-left groups in NSW” and claims that if elected “he could not work with other key officials”. Experience in NSW when rank and file candidate Trevor Deeming won an ACOA leadership position in the '80s showed that it was Caird and her supporters who refused to work with someone outside of their faction.

The leaflet mentions that at the last national elections, the rank and file candidates came very close to winning. It tells delegates that a target of a 50% voter return of TOB votes has been set (but does not say by whom) and urges delegates to hound members repeatedly.

It is believed that the tone of the leaflet was set by national secretary Peter Robson at a recent national gathering of all full-time officials. Caird's supporters reason that a red-baiting campaign may win in the Tax Office, which was historically organised by the Federated Clerks Union. Caird needs to distance herself from it, however, so that she can maintain her left credentials within the ALP.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
For further details regarding subscriptions and
correspondence please contact glw@greenleft.org.au

Tools

• Bookmark This Page
• Print This Page