[This letter was sent by Craig Johnston, elected Victorian state secretary
of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union to John Speight, AMWU Victorian
state president and all Victorian AMWU state councillors on September 2.
A copy was sent to AMWU national secretary Doug Cameron and the acting
national secretary Dave Harrison.]
It is with great
regret that I hereby tender my resignation from the office of Victorian
state secretary of the union, effective 11am on September 2, 2002.
My team and I were overwhelmingly elected because the rank and file
wanted officials who would have a red hot go, and not bow and scrape to
the bosses.
I am proud of our record of doing that for the members. It's because
of our record that the bosses have set out to destroy me and wrench control
of the branch from the rank and file.
Cameron, [AMWU national president Julius] Roe, [acting state secretary
Dave] Oliver and their ilk have shown over the past years their total incompetence
in representing the members' industrial interests. They are driven by their
lust for power and political prominence, hoping for high political office
in the future. In contrast, I and our Victorian elected officials have
delivered the best wages and conditions in our union anywhere in Australia.
The members' interests are always paramount. That is, we always put workers
first.
For this crime, we have been attacked by the boss, both the state and
federal governments, and their lackeys, Cameron and Co. The interests of
the members must always be at the forefront and I hope by my resignation
that in the subsequent election, members will vote for our endorsed candidates
against any Cameron puppet. This will be a referendum of whether members
want a strong, militant, progressive union, or a tamecat corporate union
led by people who put their political ambitions before workers' welfare.
Cameron and his cronies have demonstrated that they will stop at nothing
to damage and discredit the Victorian branch. We have seen the disgusting
use of false allegations of sexual misconduct in circumstances where despite
my full cooperation in the police investigation, no charges have been laid.
Cameron has sacked and sued officials who happen to have a different opinion
to him. As if all that is not enough, he's now trying to have officials
and rank and file members of the union locked up for contempt. Never before
in the history of the union movement in this country has a union official
turned upon another official using this filthy bosses' tactic. Cameron
is the John Kerr of the union movement.
The attacks upon me, and the Victorian branch by Cameron, Roe and Oliver
are continuing. There is no doubt that these attacks are seriously damaging
the branch and its members. There is no sign that Cameron will end his
campaign to destroy the Victorian Branch while I remain as state secretary.
The union belongs to the members. I have always tried to do what's best
for the members, and it is with this in mind that I feel I have no choice
but to resign, to enable the elected State Council to take the branch back
out of the hands of Cameron's unelected puppet Oliver. It will also give
the members a chance to again voice their will at an election. In these
ways, my resignation will make it harder for the megalomaniac Cameron to
further attack the Victorian branch, its elected leadership and its membership.
Yours in unity,
Brother Craig Johnston, elected state secretary, AMWU Victoria.
From Green Left Weekly, September 11, 2002.
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